diff --git a/src/components/media-alt-modal.jsx b/src/components/media-alt-modal.jsx
index 6188ea86..fe3f9b01 100644
--- a/src/components/media-alt-modal.jsx
+++ b/src/components/media-alt-modal.jsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { Trans, useLingui } from '@lingui/react/macro';
 import { Menu, MenuItem } from '@szhsin/react-menu';
-import { useState } from 'preact/hooks';
+import { useEffect, useState } from 'preact/hooks';
 import { useSnapshot } from 'valtio';
 
 import getTranslateTargetLanguage from '../utils/get-translate-target-language';
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ import Icon from './icon';
 import Menu2 from './menu2';
 import TranslationBlock from './translation-block';
 
+const FORCE_TRANSLATE_LIMIT = 140;
+
 export default function MediaAltModal({ alt, lang, onClose }) {
   const { t } = useLingui();
   const snapStates = useSnapshot(states);
@@ -27,6 +29,13 @@ export default function MediaAltModal({ alt, lang, onClose }) {
       (l) => lang === l || localeMatch([lang], [l]),
     );
 
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const isShortAlt = alt?.length > 0 && alt?.length <= FORCE_TRANSLATE_LIMIT;
+    if (differentLanguage && isShortAlt) {
+      setForceTranslate(true);
+    }
+  }, [differentLanguage, alt]);
+
   return (
     <div class="sheet" tabindex="-1">
       {!!onClose && (
diff --git a/src/locales/en.po b/src/locales/en.po
index 5dcb51e7..3adaaed2 100644
--- a/src/locales/en.po
+++ b/src/locales/en.po
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ msgstr ""
 #: src/components/account-info.jsx:457
 #: src/components/account-info.jsx:1231
 #: src/components/compose.jsx:2776
-#: src/components/media-alt-modal.jsx:46
+#: src/components/media-alt-modal.jsx:55
 #: src/components/media-modal.jsx:359
 #: src/components/status.jsx:1818
 #: src/components/status.jsx:1835
@@ -459,7 +459,7 @@ msgstr ""
 #: src/components/generic-accounts.jsx:151
 #: src/components/keyboard-shortcuts-help.jsx:43
 #: src/components/list-add-edit.jsx:37
-#: src/components/media-alt-modal.jsx:34
+#: src/components/media-alt-modal.jsx:43
 #: src/components/media-modal.jsx:323
 #: src/components/notification-service.jsx:157
 #: src/components/report-modal.jsx:75
@@ -1298,19 +1298,19 @@ msgstr ""
 msgid "Posts on this list are hidden from Home/Following"
 msgstr "Posts on this list are hidden from Home/Following"
 
-#: src/components/media-alt-modal.jsx:39
+#: src/components/media-alt-modal.jsx:48
 #: src/components/media.jsx:51
 msgid "Media description"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: src/components/media-alt-modal.jsx:58
+#: src/components/media-alt-modal.jsx:67
 #: src/components/status.jsx:1131
 #: src/components/status.jsx:1140
 #: src/components/translation-block.jsx:237
 msgid "Translate"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: src/components/media-alt-modal.jsx:69
+#: src/components/media-alt-modal.jsx:78
 #: src/components/status.jsx:1159
 msgid "Speak"
 msgstr ""