Support Documentation Translation: The Complete Guide for SaaS Teams

Translating support documentation is one of the most impactful investments a SaaS company can make. Customers who find answers in their language submit fewer tickets, stick around longer, and spend more. Yet most teams struggle with the how.

This guide covers everything you need to know about translating help articles, knowledge bases, and support documentation - from strategy to execution.

Why Translate Support Documentation?

Before diving into the how, let's establish the why:

Reduced support volume. When customers find answers in their native language, they submit fewer tickets. One study found that 72% of consumers prefer to buy products with information in their language. The same applies to self-service support.

Lower churn in international markets. Customers who can't navigate your help center often churn silently. They don't complain - they leave. Translated documentation removes this friction.

Competitive advantage. Most SaaS tools still have English-only help centers. Offering multilingual support documentation positions you ahead of competitors who haven't made the investment.

Better SEO in target markets. Translated help articles rank in local search results, bringing organic traffic from markets you're targeting.

Types of Support Documentation to Translate

Not all documentation has equal translation priority:

High Priority

• Getting started guides. New users in any language need onboarding content.
• FAQ articles. The 20% of articles that answer 80% of questions.
• Troubleshooting guides. Users facing problems can't wait for English comprehension.
• Billing and account docs. Money-related content needs clarity in any language.

Medium Priority

• Feature guides. Important for adoption but can follow after core content.
• Integration documentation. Users setting up integrations may be more technical (and more likely to read English).

Lower Priority

• Release notes. Often read by power users comfortable with English.
• API documentation. Developers typically work in English.
• Admin guides. Usually handled by technical staff.

Three Approaches to Support Documentation Translation

1. Manual Translation

How it works: Human translators work through your articles, either in-house or through an agency.

Best for: High-stakes content, brand-critical messaging, or when quality must be perfect.

Pros:

• Highest quality when done well
• Cultural nuance and brand voice preserved
• Good for regulated industries

Cons:

• Expensive ($0.10-0.30 per word)
• Slow (days to weeks per batch)
• Doesn't scale with documentation growth
• Updates create cascading rework

Typical cost: A 10,000-word help center costs $1,000-3,000 per language. Updates multiply this.

2. Machine Translation Only

How it works: Tools like Google Translate or DeepL translate content automatically.

Best for: Internal documentation, low-traffic content, or initial drafts.

Pros:

• Instant results
• Very low cost
• Scales infinitely

Cons:

• Quality varies significantly
• Technical terms often mistranslated
• No brand voice
• Can confuse more than help

Typical cost: Free to $20/month for most volumes.

3. Hybrid: Machine Translation + Human Review

How it works: Machine translation creates first drafts. Human reviewers fix errors and improve quality.

Best for: Most SaaS documentation. Balances speed, cost, and quality.

Pros:

• 70-80% cost reduction vs. pure human translation
• Fast initial translation with quality review
• Scales with documentation growth
• Preserves brand voice where it matters

Cons:

• Still requires human involvement
• Need to manage reviewers
• Quality depends on review thoroughness

Typical cost: $0.03-0.08 per word after machine translation savings.

Help Center Translation by Platform

Intercom Help Center

Intercom's built-in multilingual support lets you add language versions of articles. The challenge: Intercom doesn't translate content for you - it just provides the structure.

Options:

1. Manual translation: Copy content, translate, paste back. Works but doesn't scale.
2. TranslateDesk: Connects directly to Intercom, translates articles with one click, preserves formatting. Keeps translations synced when originals update.
3. Export/import: Export articles, translate externally, import back. Clunky but possible.

Zendesk Guide

Zendesk supports dynamic content and multiple locales. Translation options:

• Zendesk Translation Services: Built-in but expensive
• Integration with TMS: Lokalise, Phrase, Crowdin all connect
• API-based tools: Build custom workflows with Zendesk's API

Freshdesk

Freshdesk supports multilingual knowledge bases with separate article versions per language. Translation requires manual effort or third-party tools.

Help Scout

Help Scout's Docs product supports multiple sites for different languages but doesn't have built-in translation workflows. Most teams maintain separate docs sites.

Building a Translation Workflow

A sustainable translation workflow needs these components:

1. Source Content Management

Keep your source language (usually English) well-organized:

• Consistent terminology
• Clear, simple language (easier to translate)
• Standardized formatting
• Version tracking

2. Translation Triggers

Define when translations happen:

• Immediate: High-traffic articles translated same-day
• Batched: Medium-priority content translated weekly
• Queued: Lower-priority content translated monthly

3. Review Process

Even with machine translation, review matters:

• In-market reviewers: Native speakers in target markets
• Subject matter experts: For technical accuracy
• Brand guardians: For voice and tone

4. Update Synchronization

The hardest part of translation: keeping content synchronized.

When source content updates, you need a system to:

1. Detect the change
2. Flag which translations need updates
3. Translate the delta (not the whole article)
4. Push updates through review

Tools like TranslateDesk handle this automatically. Without automation, teams typically maintain spreadsheets (poorly).

Common Translation Mistakes

Translating Everything at Once

Don't try to translate your entire help center in one project. Start with:

• Top 20 articles by traffic
• Critical onboarding content
• High-priority troubleshooting

Add more over time based on actual usage data.

Ignoring Context

Machine translation without context produces bizarre results. Technical terms, product names, and UI references need handling:

• Create a glossary of terms that shouldn't be translated
• Provide context for ambiguous phrases
• Review results in-product, not just in documents

Not Measuring Impact

Track metrics to justify ongoing investment:

• Ticket volume by language
• Self-service rate by market
• Help center traffic by locale
• Customer satisfaction scores by region

Forgetting About Updates

Translation is ongoing, not a one-time project. Budget for:

• Weekly content updates
• Monthly new article translations
• Quarterly terminology reviews

Calculating Translation ROI

Basic ROI Model

Inputs:

• Number of articles: 100
• Average article length: 500 words
• Languages: 3
• Translation cost: $0.05/word (hybrid approach)
• Tickets reduced: 15% of international volume
• Average ticket cost: $15

Calculation:

• Total words: 100 × 500 × 3 = 150,000 words
• Translation cost: 150,000 × $0.05 = $7,500
• Monthly international tickets: 200
• Tickets reduced: 200 × 15% = 30 tickets/month
• Monthly savings: 30 × $15 = $450/month
• Break-even: 17 months

Factor in churn reduction and the ROI improves significantly.

Getting Started: Action Plan

Week 1: Audit

• Inventory your current documentation
• Identify top 20 articles by traffic
• Define target languages based on customer data

Week 2: Tool Selection

• Evaluate translation tools for your platform
• Set up glossaries and style guides
• Create test translations

Week 3: Pilot

• Translate 5-10 high-priority articles
• Review with native speakers
• Gather feedback from international customers

Week 4: Scale

• Expand translation to remaining priority content
• Establish update workflow
• Set up measurement and reporting

Conclusion

Translating support documentation isn't optional for SaaS teams with international ambitions. The question isn't whether to translate - it's how to do it efficiently.

Start with high-impact content. Use hybrid translation workflows to balance cost and quality. Automate synchronization so updates don't create chaos.

Most importantly, measure results. Translation is an investment, and investments need returns.

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Building on Intercom? TranslateDesk translates your help center articles automatically, keeping everything in sync as your documentation evolves.