Help Center Translation Checklist: 47 Steps to Multilingual Support

This looks like a lot of steps. Good news: most teams only do about 15 of these manually. The rest are automated by modern translation tools.

We wrote this complete checklist so you know what could be involved. In practice:

• Steps 25-44 (translation execution) take 10 minutes with TranslateDesk
• Steps 56-62 (maintenance) happen automatically with change detection
• You focus on strategy (Phase 1) and quality (the important stuff)

Think of this as a reference, not a todo list. Work through what applies to you.

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Phase 1: Strategy & Planning

Before you translate anything, make sure you're translating the right things for the right reasons.

Language Selection

• Pull traffic data: Check Google Analytics for top non-English countries/languages in the last 90 days
• Review customer data: Identify which languages your paying customers speak (check billing addresses, support ticket languages)
• Check support tickets: Count how many tickets come in non-English languages per month
• Survey customers: Ask your top 20 customers if they'd prefer support in another language
• Research market opportunity: Identify languages that align with expansion plans
• Rank language priority: Create ordered list based on data (not gut feeling)
• Choose first language: Pick ONE language to start. Don't try to do multiple simultaneously.

Content Prioritization

• Export article list: Get full list of all help center articles with view counts
• Identify top 20 articles: Sort by views, mark the top 20 for first batch
• Flag getting-started content: Mark all onboarding/setup articles as priority
• Flag pre-purchase content: Mark pricing, billing, trial, and FAQ articles
• Flag ticket-deflection content: Mark articles that answer your most common support questions
• Create "do not translate" list: Mark API docs, changelogs, and internal-only content
• Calculate total word count: Estimate scope for budgeting

Tool Selection

• Evaluate current tools: Check if your help desk (Intercom, Zendesk) has native translation features (for Intercom, see what's actually supported)
• Assess native limitations: Document what native tools can't do (usually: no AI translation, no sync)
• Research third-party tools: Compare TranslateDesk, Lokalise, Crowdin, Weglot for your platform
• Calculate budget: Factor in tool costs + any human review needs
• Test 2-3 tools: Run same article through different tools, compare quality
• Select tool: Choose based on integration, quality, and workflow fit

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Phase 2: Setup & Configuration

Get your infrastructure ready before translating content.

Platform Setup

• Enable multilingual in help desk: Turn on language support in Intercom/Zendesk/etc.
• Configure language settings: Set primary language, add target language(s)
• Set up language selector: Ensure visitors can easily switch languages
• Configure URL structure: Decide: subdomain (de.help.company.com), subdirectory (/de/), or parameter (?lang=de)
• Connect translation tool: Integrate chosen tool with help desk

Workflow Setup

• Create terminology glossary: Document product names, features that shouldn't be translated
• Define style guide: Formal vs informal, brand voice guidelines for translations
• Set up review process: Who reviews translations? When? What's the approval workflow?
• Create maintenance schedule: Weekly sync check, monthly review, quarterly audit
• Document rollback process: How to revert if translation has major errors

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Phase 3: Translation Execution

Time to actually translate content.

Batch 1: Core Articles (Week 1)

• Import first 10 articles: Start with highest-traffic content
• Run AI translation: Generate initial translations
• Quick review: Scan for obvious errors, broken formatting
• Fix critical issues: Address errors that block understanding
• Publish batch 1: Make first articles live

Batch 2: High-Impact Content (Week 2)

• Import next 10 articles: Getting started, billing, common FAQs
• Run AI translation.
• Review for consistency: Check terminology matches batch 1
• Update glossary: Add any new terms discovered
• Publish batch 2.

Quality Review

• Native speaker review: Have 1-2 native speakers review top 5 articles
• Collect feedback: Note any systematic issues (tone, terminology)
• Apply fixes globally: Update translation memory/glossary with learnings
• Document quality standards: What's "good enough"? What needs human review?

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Phase 4: Launch & Announce

Make your multilingual help center discoverable.

Launch Checklist

• Test all links: Verify translated articles link correctly
• Test search: Confirm search works in translated language
• Test navigation: Verify categories and structure work
• Test on mobile: Check language selector works on mobile
• Check meta tags: Ensure translated pages have proper SEO meta data
• Set up hreflang: Add hreflang tags for international SEO

Announcement

• Update website: Add language badges, update "supported languages" copy
• Email announcement: Notify relevant customers about new language support
• In-app announcement: Show banner to users in detected language
• Social media: Announce on channels where target language users are active
• Update app store listing: If applicable, update to show language support

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Phase 5: Ongoing Maintenance

Translation isn't done at launch. Content changes. Languages need maintenance.

Weekly Tasks (15 minutes)

• Check for source updates: Which English articles changed this week?
• Flag priority updates: Mark changed articles that need re-translation
• Quick sync: Re-translate 2-3 updated articles

Monthly Tasks (1 hour)

• Review analytics: Which translated articles get views? Which don't?
• Identify new candidates: Any new English articles that should be translated?
• Remove stale content: Delete translations for removed English articles
• Terminology check: Has product changed? Update glossary accordingly

Quarterly Tasks (2-3 hours)

• Full content audit: Review all translated content for accuracy
• User feedback review: Check support tickets for translation complaints
• Tool evaluation: Is current tool still the best fit?
• Expansion decision: Ready to add another language?

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Phase 6: Expansion (When Ready)

Adding your second language is easier than your first. You have the workflow.

Pre-Expansion Check

• Validate demand: Do you have meaningful traffic/customers in next language?
• Assess capacity: Can you maintain two languages at current quality?
• Confirm budget: Is translation tool pricing still acceptable?

Expansion Execution

• Apply learnings: Use glossary and style guide from first language
• Prioritize differently: Second language may have different content priorities
• Maintain both: Don't let first language quality slip while adding second

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Quick Reference: What to Translate First

Priority	Content Type	Why
1	Getting started guide	Reduces onboarding support tickets
2	Pricing/billing FAQ	Converts pre-purchase visitors
3	Top 10 most-viewed articles	Covers majority of traffic
4	Account/password help	High frustration, easy fix
5	Core feature documentation	Enables product usage
6	Troubleshooting guides	Reduces support escalations
7	Advanced features	After basics are covered
8	Edge case articles	Low priority, low traffic

Quick Reference: What NOT to Translate

• API documentation (developers read English)
• Internal/admin guides (staff-only)
• Changelogs older than 6 months
• Content with <50 monthly views
• Third-party integration docs (link to their docs instead)

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Download This Checklist

Copy this entire page to your project management tool (Notion, Linear, Asana) and track progress against each item.

Timeline estimate:

• Phase 1 (Strategy): 1 week
• Phase 2 (Setup): 2-3 days
• Phase 3 (Translation): 2 weeks
• Phase 4 (Launch): 2-3 days
• Phase 5 (Maintenance): Ongoing

Total time to first multilingual help center: 3-4 weeks

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The Fast Track: What TranslateDesk Automates

Don't want to do all 47 steps manually? Here's what TranslateDesk handles for you:

Manual Steps	With TranslateDesk
Steps 25-35: Setup + first translation batch	One-click connect + translate
Steps 36-44: Quality review + publishing	AI translation + instant publish
Steps 56-62: Weekly/monthly maintenance	Automatic change detection

Bottom line: You focus on strategy (which languages, which content) and quality review. The tool handles everything else.

Try TranslateDesk free. Five articles translated, no credit card required.

→ Intercom users: Translate your help center now