diff -u b/core/modules/menu_link_content/migration_templates/d6_menu_links_translation.yml b/core/modules/menu_link_content/migration_templates/d6_menu_links_translation.yml
--- b/core/modules/menu_link_content/migration_templates/d6_menu_links_translation.yml
+++ b/core/modules/menu_link_content/migration_templates/d6_menu_links_translation.yml
@@ -7,6 +7,10 @@
 process:
   id: mlid
   langcode: language
+  skip:
+    - plugin: skip_on_empty
+      method: row
+      source: migrate
   title:
     plugin: menu_link_translation
     source:
diff -u b/core/modules/menu_link_content/src/Plugin/migrate/source/d6/MenuLinkTranslation.php b/core/modules/menu_link_content/src/Plugin/migrate/source/d6/MenuLinkTranslation.php
--- b/core/modules/menu_link_content/src/Plugin/migrate/source/d6/MenuLinkTranslation.php
+++ b/core/modules/menu_link_content/src/Plugin/migrate/source/d6/MenuLinkTranslation.php
@@ -63,6 +63,11 @@
    * {@inheritdoc}
    */
   public function prepareRow(Row $row) {
+    $language = $row->getSourceProperty('language');
+    $mlid = $row->getSourceProperty('mlid');
+    if (empty($this->idMap->lookupDestinationIds(['mlid' => $mlid, 'language' => $language]))) {
+      $row->setSourceProperty('migrate', TRUE);
+    }
     // Set untranslated values as defaults.
     $row->setSourceProperty('title_untranslated', $row->getSourceProperty('link_title'));
     $row->setSourceProperty('options', unserialize($row->getSourceProperty('options')));
@@ -73,8 +78,6 @@
     $row->setSourceProperty($property . '_translated', $row->getSourceProperty('translation'));
 
     // Get the translation for the property not already in the row.
-    $language = $row->getSourceProperty('language');
-    $mlid = $row->getSourceProperty('mlid');
     $property2 = ($property == 'title') ? 'description' : 'title';
     $query = $this->select('i18n_strings', 'i18n')
       ->fields('i18n', ['lid']);