Intercom Translation: Live Chat vs Help Center (Which Do You Need?)

When someone says "I need to translate my Intercom," they usually mean one of two things:

Help Center translation: Converting published articles and documentation into other languages
Live Chat translation: Translating conversations between agents and customers in real-time

These are different problems. They require different tools. And most teams should prioritize one over the other.

This guide breaks down both types, explains when each matters, and helps you choose the right approach for your team.

What Is Help Center Translation?

Help center translation means converting your published articles, guides, and documentation into multiple languages. The goal is self-service: customers find answers in their language without contacting support.

How it works:

Your team writes articles in English (or your primary language)
A translation tool converts those articles into target languages
Translated articles are published alongside the originals
Intercom serves the right version based on visitor language

Tools for help center translation:

TranslateDesk (Intercom-specific)
Lokalise with Intercom Articles integration
Manual copy/paste with Google Translate or DeepL

The challenge: Keeping translations in sync. When you update an English article, every translated version becomes stale. Tools like TranslateDesk detect these changes and alert you.

What Is Live Chat Translation?

Live chat translation means converting messages between agents and customers during real-time conversations. An agent writes in English; the customer sees the message in Japanese. The customer replies in Japanese; the agent sees it in English.

How it works:

Translation happens inside the Intercom conversation
Both parties write in their native language
Machine translation bridges the gap instantly
No pre-planning required

Tools for live chat translation:

Lokalise Messages for Intercom
Language I/O
Some enterprise support platforms with built-in translation

The challenge: Accuracy in context. Machine translation can mishandle idioms, technical terms, or ambiguous phrasing. Human review isn't possible at conversation speed.

Key Differences: Side-by-Side

Aspect	Help Center Translation	Live Chat Translation
When it happens	Before customers need help	During the conversation
Content type	Written, reviewed articles	Spontaneous messages
Quality control	Review before publishing	No review possible
Scale	Translate once, serve forever	Every message, every conversation
Cost pattern	One-time per article	Per conversation/message
Impact	Deflects tickets 24/7	Enables agent conversations
Required for	International self-service	International support tickets

Which Should You Prioritize?

Most teams should start with help center translation. Here's why:

The 80/20 Rule of Support

A well-maintained help center deflects 60-80% of support questions. If you translate your top 50 articles into French, you've just enabled French speakers to self-serve those same issues. That's leverage.

Live chat translation, by contrast, is linear: every conversation requires translation. It doesn't scale the same way.

Cost Comparison

Help center translation:

Translate 100 articles into 3 languages: ~$300-500 one-time (with TranslateDesk)
Updates when articles change: incremental

Live chat translation:

Enterprise pricing: $100-500+/month
Scales with conversation volume
Never "done"

Quality Comparison

Help center translation allows review. You can check translations before publishing. You can use glossaries to ensure consistent terminology. You can catch errors.

Live chat translation is instant. There's no review step. Machine translation errors go directly to customers. For sensitive industries (healthcare, finance), this can be problematic.

When Live Chat Translation Makes Sense

Live chat translation becomes valuable when:

You have significant international ticket volume. If 30% of your tickets come from non-English speakers, agent translation saves real time.
Your team lacks language coverage. You have no Spanish-speaking agents but receive Spanish tickets daily.
Response speed matters more than perfection. Some industries tolerate "good enough" translation for faster resolution.
You've already translated your help center. The self-service layer is built; now you're optimizing agent efficiency.

Recommended Approach

Phase 1: Help Center First

Identify your top 3 target languages (check analytics and ticket origins)
Translate your most-viewed articles first
Use TranslateDesk for direct Intercom integration
Monitor deflection rates and expand coverage

This creates 24/7 self-service support in multiple languages. Most teams see 15-30% reduction in international support tickets.

Phase 2: Live Chat When Ready

Once your help center covers common questions:

Analyze remaining ticket patterns by language
Evaluate live chat translation tools (Lokalise Messages, Language I/O)
Pilot with one language before rolling out broadly
Train agents on translation quirks and review practices

Tool Recommendations by Use Case

Use Case	Recommended Tool	Why
Intercom help center only	TranslateDesk	Built for Intercom, simple, pay-as-you-go
Multi-platform localization	Lokalise	Enterprise TMS for apps, docs, and support
Live chat translation	Lokalise Messages or Language I/O	Real-time conversation translation
Enterprise all-in-one	Lokalise + add-ons	Complex but comprehensive

The Hybrid Approach

Some teams need both. A realistic setup:

TranslateDesk for Intercom help center articles (simple, direct integration)
Lokalise Messages for live chat translation (when ticket volume justifies it)

This avoids enterprise TMS complexity for help center work while still enabling real-time translation when needed.

Bottom Line

"Intercom translation" isn't one thing. Decide which problem you're solving:

Need self-service in multiple languages? Help center translation. Start here.
Need agents to chat in any language? Live chat translation. Add this later.

Most teams get the best ROI from translating their help center first. It's one-time work that serves every visitor. Live chat translation is valuable but linear: every conversation costs.

For help center translation, TranslateDesk connects directly to Intercom and alerts you when articles need updates. Try it with 5 free translations to see how it works.