How to run operations in several languages
Running operations in several languages requires deciding what genuinely needs translating. Translating everything is expensive and creates versions that drift apart. Translating nothing excludes people from processes they have to use.
Why partial translation causes problems
A company operating across markets translates customer facing material and leaves internal processes in one language. Local teams then work in a second language for everything operational, which slows them and produces errors nobody attributes to the cause.
Alternatively everything is translated, and within a year the versions disagree, which is worse than a single language.
Decisions worth making explicitly:
- Which language the operational system uses
- What must exist in the local language
- Who is responsible for keeping versions aligned
- Where machine translation is acceptable
- How customer communication is handled per market
What to translate
| Content | Translate | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Customer messages | Always | They did not choose your language |
| Legal and compliance | Always | Obligations are local |
| Safety instructions | Always | Misunderstanding has consequences |
| Field names in the system | Usually not | Versions drift and break reporting |
| Internal procedures | Depends on the audience | Cost against comprehension |
| Reporting categories | Never | Consolidation requires one set |
Step by step to structure it
- Choose one operational language for the system structure.
- Keep reporting categories in that language, since consolidation depends on it.
- Translate anything customer facing into the market's language.
- Translate safety and compliance content without exception.
- Assign an owner for keeping translated versions aligned.
- Use machine translation for comprehension, not for publication.
- Review translated procedures whenever the original changes.
Why reporting categories should never be translated
If one market records a category in Portuguese and another in English, consolidated reporting requires a mapping that someone maintains and that eventually breaks. Keeping the stored value in one language, while the interface may display otherwise, preserves the ability to compare markets.
Why choose Jestor
In Jestor, categories live in central registries referenced by every unit, so the stored value stays consistent regardless of market. Documents can hold translated procedures attached to the same process, and customer communication templates can differ per market while the underlying process remains one.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should always be translated?
Customer facing messages, legal content and safety instructions. See jestor.com.
What should never be translated?
Reporting categories, since consolidation depends on a single set of values.
Is machine translation acceptable?
For comprehension, yes. For publication and compliance content, no.
Video Tutorial: Step by Step
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