Running Meta ads in more than one language is easy to start and easy to get half right. Ads Manager will happily translate the text around your creative while the image itself still says everything in English.
There are three ways to set it up. Most accounts end up using a mix.
Option 1: add languages to one ad
When you build an ad in Ads Manager you can add languages to it: you set a default language, then add versions of the primary text, headline and description for others. Meta shows each person the version that matches the language they use, and falls back to the default for everyone else.
This works well when:
- the offer, budget and landing page are the same in every market;
- the creative has no text in it, or its text is universal (a logo, a price in a shared currency);
- you want the delivery system to handle the language matching.
Meta has also tested translating ad text automatically as part of its creative enhancements. The interface changes often, so check what your account offers and preview the result: automatic translation of short ad copy is usable, but brand terms and calls to action deserve a look.
The limit is the creative. Language options work on the text fields. If your image says “Sleep better tonight” in large type, a German viewer still sees English.
Option 2: one ad set per language or market
The older approach is to split by market: one ad set per language or country, each with its own ads. It takes more setup and spreads your budget thinner, but you get:
- a separate budget and bid for each market;
- audiences targeted by location and by the language people use on Facebook and Instagram;
- room for a different offer, price or landing page in each market;
- clean reporting per market.
This is the better choice once a market is big enough to manage on its own, or when the offer differs, for example a different price, free shipping threshold or promotion.
Option 3: localize the creative itself
If your ad has words in the image or a voice in the video, those need their own localized version, whichever of the first two options you use. That means:
- the headline, body copy and call to action inside the image, in the target language and still fitting the layout;
- the voiceover dubbed, or subtitles burned in, for video;
- each language exported in every aspect ratio the campaign uses.
This is the step that used to need a designer per language. Tools such as Ad Localizer produce a reviewed version of each image ad per language, and dub or subtitle video ads, so the creative matches the text fields Meta shows around it.
Which option fits
| Setup | What gets translated | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Languages on one ad | Primary text, headline, description | Same offer everywhere, little text in the creative | English text inside the image |
| One ad set per language | Everything you build per ad set | Markets with their own budget, offer or page | Thinner budgets, more setup |
| Localized creative | The image text, voice and subtitles | Ads with on-image copy or speech | Needs review per language |
In practice: localize the creative for every market you take seriously, then choose between options 1 and 2 based on whether those markets need their own budget and offer.
What to translate besides the headline
A translated ad has more parts than the headline. Go through each before launch:
- Primary text. Usually the longest field. Keep the first line strong, because it is what shows before “See more”.
- Headline and description. Short fields that get cut off. Check them in the preview for each placement.
- Text in the creative. Headline, offer and call to action inside the image or video.
- Call-to-action button. You pick it from Meta’s list. Check in the preview how it reads next to your translated copy.
- Offer details. Prices, currency, discount codes, shipping thresholds and dates.
- Landing page. The page should be in the ad’s language and show the same offer.
A checklist before you launch
- Every language has a localized creative where the creative contains text or speech.
- Prices, currencies, dates and units are right for each market.
- Each placement is previewed in each language: feed, Stories, Reels.
- The landing page matches the language and the offer.
- A fluent reviewer has approved the copy.
- You know which original ad each version comes from, so you can compare results.
Start with one winning ad
Take one ad that performs, localize the creative for two markets, and run it with the setup above. If you want to see how long translated copy gets and how to plan for it, read how much longer ad copy gets in translation. For the formats each placement needs, see which aspect ratios to export.