Universally translates the text that describes your media, not the media itself. Alt text, titles and captions are translated in every language; the image or video file served stays the same one.
The same file is served in every language, so treat anything baked into an image as untranslatable and keep translatable text in HTML. One exception is worth knowing about: text inside an inline <svg> is translated.
What Gets Translated
Image Alt Text
The alt attribute on <img> tags is automatically translated. This is important for both accessibility (screen readers) and SEO (search engines use alt text to understand images).
<!-- Original -->
<img src="/hero.jpg" alt="Team working together in the office">
<!-- Translated (Spanish) -->
<img src="/hero.jpg" alt="Equipo trabajando juntos en la oficina">
Title Attributes
The title attribute on any element (images, links, etc.) is translated. This is the tooltip text that appears when hovering over an element.
<!-- Original -->
<img src="/chart.png" title="Quarterly revenue chart">
<!-- Translated (German) -->
<img src="/chart.png" title="Vierteljährliches Umsatzdiagramm">
Open Graph Image Alt
The og:image:alt and twitter:image:alt meta tags are translated so that social media previews display accessible image descriptions in the correct language.
Image Captions
Any text rendered in HTML near images, such as <figcaption> elements, caption paragraphs, or overlay text, is translated as normal page content.
What Is NOT Changed
Image Files
The image source (src) is not modified, so the same file is served in every language. Text baked into an image, such as a banner reading “Welcome”, is part of the picture and is not translated. There is no per-language media swap, so a banner with text in it has to be handled in your own markup: serve a different image per language yourself, or move the text out of the picture and into HTML over it.
Video and Audio
Video sources, audio files, and embedded media (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.) are not modified. Subtitles or captions embedded in video players are not translated.
Background Images
CSS background images are not affected. Any text baked into background images remains in the original language.
Text drawn as paths, or in an external SVG
An SVG referenced as a file, and lettering drawn as paths rather than as text, cannot be translated. Move that text into HTML over the graphic if it needs to change per language.
Text inside an inline <svg> is a different case: where the SVG carries a <text> element, its words are translated like any other text on the page, and the markup, paths and attributes around them are left alone. Add class="notranslate" to the <svg> if it must stay in the source language.
Best Practices
Use glossary rules for brand imagery descriptions. If your alt text contains brand terms that should stay in English (e.g., “MacBook Pro on a desk”), add a Keep glossary rule for the brand name. See Glossary Rules.
Avoid text in images. Use HTML text overlays instead of baking text into images. This ensures the text is translatable and better for SEO.
Always include alt text. Every meaningful image should have an alt attribute. Universally translates it automatically, improving accessibility across all languages.
Use captions in HTML. Wrap image captions in <figcaption> or similar HTML elements rather than placing them inside the image itself.