Internationalization for the Technical Writer: Localizing Your User Guides
It’s easier than ever to reach customers and audiences all over the world. Enterprise businesses and multinationals have been focused on internationalization (you’ll also see this written as “I18N”) for years. But many small businesses and start-ups have to start small.
For technical writers working on user guides and technical manuals, this usually means starting with supporting only a single language—at least initially. The decision is understandable, as full localization can be very expensive, both in terms of creating new content and maintaining it over time.
However, it's essential to recognize the benefits that come with supporting users in their native languages.
The Importance of Supporting Users in Their Own Language
Providing help content—like user guides or FAQs—in the native languages of your target audience can deliver serious value to your support organization and serious revenue for your business outcomes.
Drive Value for Customer Success
Clear and effective communication is the whole point of technical writing, and it can drive positive user experiences with your support flow. Reaching users where they are, in their preferred language, can help drive better user proficiency in your product and build trust with your support content.
Furthermore, offering localized user guides can significantly enhance customer satisfaction. Users are more likely to engage with your product or service when they can easily comprehend the instructions and troubleshoot issues.
Drive Value for Your Business
When users find success through your product, you’re more likely to find business success through them. With fewer support requests and higher customer retention rates, the upside is clear.
But there’s also an intangible side to this: by speaking to your customers in their preferred language, you show respect for their culture and their preferences in communication. You can truly foster a sense of trust and respect—and strengthen your brand's credibility.
And of course, happy customers are also more inclined to advocate for your brand in the marketplace.
So, you think you’re ready to start localizing your content? Not so fast!
Due Diligence: Considerations Before Localizing Help Content
While the benefits of localized user guides and help content are undeniable, it's important to consider the costs in time, money, and resources associated with localization—as well as some of the common pitfalls you might run into in your i18n journey.
Thinking through these things can help you prepare for setting expectations with stakeholders and for requesting budget to do localization the right way.
The Cost of Creating and Maintaining Localized Versions
Translating content into just one other language can be very expensive. Then, once it’s translated, who maintains it over time? If a guide or help article needs updating based on changes to your product, how do you get that done ad hoc? Is your industry so niche that you need to hire someone fluent to manage that documentation set?
Managing Content in Multiple Languages
There’s also a content management aspect to this. You know you want one source-of-truth document so you don’t duplicate effort or confuse your audience. But when you localize content, you are creating new sources-of-truth—all of which must be updated when the original document requires changes.
The increased effort spent on content management with localization are not linear, but exponential.
This is another area where you’ll have to consider the costs associated with localization. You’ll have to decide:
Can your business afford to contract with translation services to keep your content up-to-date with each change to your product?
Does it make more sense to hire someone part- or full-time who can be an expert in your product for the new locales?
You may determine that you want to wait to provide localized content until the scale of your business in the relevant locales can justify those expenses.
Jargon: Localization’s Nemesis
Technical content often relies heavily on industry-specific jargon and complex terminology. Translating this kind of language accurately is very challenging and usually requires real language proficiency or even fluency.
Literal translations may not totally convey the intended meaning, and that can lead to confusion and potential misuse of your product.
AI versus Human Translation Services
Artificial intelligence has come a long way with language translation, but it still has limitations—particularly for technical content. AI lacks the context that human translators bring to the table, making it prone to inaccuracies and misinterpretations. While AI can serve as a useful initial tool for translation, it should at least be complemented with human editorial to ensure the highest quality and accuracy in the final output.
Even then, choosing the wrong human translation service can also result in subpar localized content.
Partnering with professional translators who also possess the relevant subject matter expertise can help ensure precise localization of technical content. This expertise will guarantee that the localized content remains accurate, clear, and effective in assisting users.
Where to Begin?
Once you’ve considered the various costs, benefits, and intricacies associated with localizing your help content, you might decide you’re not quite prepared to deliver on the promise of wider markets and bigger bottom lines. But don’t look at that as a failure. Consider that doing localization poorly can be as negative to your customers’ experiences as doing it well can be positive.
If you do think you’re ready, and you’re prepared for the challenge, you can start with the languages most relevant to your target markets and gradually expand as your business grows.
With a well-thought-out approach, internationalizing your help content can significantly impact your business's success. It’s a big world out there!
