Erasing language barriers in international BIM collaboration.

Revit Translator is a free add-in for Autodesk Revit, aimed at BIM teams working on international projects that require translation of models or drawings into another language.

It simplifies the translation pipeline to 100+ languages by automatically extracting text from all user-modifiable text properties, translating it via a third-party service, and updating them back in Revit. This plug-in uses the API provided by DeepL — industry leader in accurate technical machine translations.

Supports Revit 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · 2026

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Setup

1. Download & Install

1. Go to the latest GitHub release.
2. Download the .msi file for each Revit version you're using.
3. Run the file. Windows will show a standard security warning — click More Info → Run Anyway.

<img width="350" alt="Windows security prompt" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/b0c2f399-25cc-4c12-8360-8ab2c4e51a93" />

4. Start Revit and click Always Load.

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2. Set Up a DeepL Account & API Key

To use the add-in, you need a DeepL API account. Two tiers are available:

| Tier | Limit | Cost | |------|-------|------| | Free | 500,000 characters/month | Free (card required) | | Pro | Unlimited | Pay-as-you-go |

1. Go to deepl.com/pro#api and register an account.
2. Set up billing — required even for free accounts. You won't be charged on the free tier.
3. Create an API key: Account → API keys & limits → Create key.

⚠️ Payment cards from some countries may not be accepted by DeepL. Check their website for details.

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3. Configure the Add-In in Revit

1. Open the Add-Ins tab in Revit.
2. Click Translator → Settings.
3. Paste your API key. Free or Pro tier is detected automatically.
4. Select your target language. Source language is optional — it can be auto-detected.
5. Click Save Settings.

<img width="500" alt="image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/9f76bead-fa2c-4639-8f1f-0728aa0c7933" />

From the Settings window you can also access previous translation reports, or navigate to the GitHub Issues page if something goes wrong.

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Update & Uninstall

• Updates are automatic — the add-in checks for new releases while Revit is running and installs them silently after Revit closes.
• Uninstall via Control Panel, like any other application.

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How to Use

Price

The plug-in itself is free. Translation costs depend on your DeepL plan:

• Free tier — 500,000 characters/month free of charge. As a rough guide, that's about the length of The Great Gatsby translated every week. How far it goes in a Revit model depends heavily on how much text your model contains.
• Pro tier — No monthly cap. Pay-as-you-go pricing at deepl.com/pro#api.

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Translation Modes

The add-in offers four modes. Choose the one that fits your workflow:

<img height="250" alt="Translation modes UI" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/05183b39-0e2d-49a3-aa6f-2b5ef7cf34d5" />

Selection

Translates all currently selected elements. Works with elements picked in the viewport as well as in the Project Browser (Views, Family Types, etc.).

Categories

Select one or more Revit categories (Doors, Text Notes, Floor Tags, etc.) and translate all matching elements in the model. The add-in will show you the total count of translatable elements when you update your selection.

Note: The actual number of translation calls is roughly 10× the element count, since each element has multiple text properties.

Sheets

Select individual sheets or sheet collections (collections available in Revit 2025+). Translates all elements on the sheet — title block, annotations — as well as everything visible in placed viewports.

Model

Collects and translates every user-editable element in the model. The most thorough option, and the most time-consuming.

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Features

Cancellation & Undo

Translations can be stopped at any point by clicking Cancel in the progress window. You can then choose to update the model with the completed portion, or discard everything.

Already-applied translations can be fully reversed with a single Ctrl+Z — the entire session is committed as one transaction.

Workshared Models

It is recommended to run translations on a detached copy of the model to avoid conflicts. If working in a workshared environment, ensure all relevant elements are editable before starting.

Translation Speed

DeepL rate-limits API calls, so the add-in paces requests accordingly. Expect 3–5 translations per second, with occasional short pauses — this is normal.

Progress & Reports

A Progress window shows remaining translations and running character usage in real time.

After each session, a report is saved automatically, containing:

• Session summary
• Each translated entry with original text, translation, and Revit element ID

Reports can be opened from the Progress window or accessed later via Settings → Open Reports Folder. Default location: %APPDATA%\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins\RevitTranslator\Reports

<img width="600" alt="Progress window" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/200873c6-a4a6-44c3-80ef-aa66c665f25b" />

~~Black/White Lists~~ (not yet supported)

The add-in currently does not support excluding specific elements or categories from translation. As a workaround, use Selection or Categories mode to translate only what you need.

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What Gets Translated

The add-in handles a range of Revit element types:

| Element type | What's translated | |---|---| | Text Notes & Text Elements | Text content | | Views | View name | | Schedules | Column headers | | Dimensions | Above / below / prefix / suffix / value override | | Title Blocks | All text elements inside the family | | Families, Types, Instances | Name + all user-modifiable string parameters |

The add-in will skip values containing characters that Revit treats as reserved or invalid (such as < > | :). Revit will display the full list if this occurs.

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Technical Details

• Tested on Windows 11, Revit 2023 and 2025
• Designed to support Revit 2023–2026
• Compatibility with other add-ins is not guaranteed — conflicts may occur if another plug-in uses a different version of a shared package

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Afterword

Have feedback, a proposal, or just want to say hello? Reach out on LinkedIn or by email.

<details> <summary>Background & motivation</summary>

Years ago, I was working in an architectural studio on a project in another country. All drawings had to be handed off in the client's language — a perfectly standard practice.

The prototype for this plug-in was a Dynamo script that made the process bearable: extract text from elements into an Excel file (tracking Parameter IDs) → hand it to translators → proofread the results → feed the Excel back into Dynamo → update parameter values automatically.

It was a time-saver, but eventually I decided it would be a good challenge to build something more polished — and to learn .NET development along the way.

</details>

A note on support

This is a free, open-source plug-in maintained in my spare time. I cannot guarantee prompt bug fixes, new features, or indefinite maintenance.

If it's useful to you, a kind word goes a long way — share it, write a post, leave a comment, or send a quick message on LinkedIn.

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Legal notice: Always work from backups and local files. Use this plug-in at your own discretion.