How to Translate Zendesk Help Center: Complete Guide

To translate your Zendesk help center, you have three main options: manual translation, translation management platforms, or automated translation tools. Manual translation works for small help centers but doesn't scale. Translation management platforms like Crowdin or Lokalise handle larger projects but require exporting and importing content. Automated tools can translate directly, though platform support varies.

This guide walks through each approach, explains the trade-offs, and helps you choose the right method for your Zendesk help center.

Option 1: Manual Translation

Manual translation means translating articles yourself or hiring translators to translate content directly in Zendesk.

How It Works

1. Create a new article in Zendesk for each target language
2. Copy the English content
3. Translate the content (yourself or with a translator)
4. Paste the translation into the new article
5. Reformat links, images, and code blocks manually
6. Publish the translated article

When Manual Translation Makes Sense

• Small help centers with fewer than 20 articles
• Content that rarely changes
• Budget for professional translators
• Need for certified or legal translations
• Content that requires brand-specific voice

Limitations

Manual translation becomes difficult as your help center grows:

• Time-consuming: Translating 50 articles can take 40+ hours
• Hard to keep in sync: When you update an English article, you must manually track which translations need updates
• Formatting issues: Copy-pasting translations means reformatting links, images, code blocks, and other elements
• Expensive: Professional translators typically charge $20 to $50 or more per article
• No monitoring: It's easy to miss articles that need translation or updates

Option 2: Translation Management Platforms

Translation management platforms like Crowdin, Lokalise, or Phrase help teams manage translations at scale.

How It Works

1. Export your Zendesk articles (usually via CSV or API)
2. Upload content to the translation platform
3. Translate articles using the platform's tools
4. Export translated content
5. Import translations back into Zendesk (manually or via API if supported)
6. Reformat content in Zendesk

When Translation Management Platforms Make Sense

• Large help centers with 100+ articles
• Teams with multiple translators
• Need for translation memory and glossaries
• Content that changes frequently
• Budget for platform subscriptions ($100+ per month typically)

Limitations

Translation management platforms solve some problems but create others:

• Export/import overhead: Moving content between Zendesk and the platform adds steps
• Formatting challenges: Exporting and importing can break formatting, requiring manual fixes
• No direct integration: Translation management platforms typically require export/import workflows rather than direct integration
• Cost: Platform subscriptions plus translator fees add up quickly
• Still requires monitoring: You must track which articles need translation or updates

Option 3: Automated Translation Tools

Automated translation tools can translate articles directly, preserving formatting and keeping translations in sync.

Current State

Automated translation tools with direct Zendesk integration have limited availability. Most automated tools currently support specific platforms like Intercom, with limited or no direct Zendesk integration.

How It Would Work (If Available)

1. Connect your Zendesk account
2. Import articles automatically
3. Select articles and target languages
4. Translate articles automatically
5. Review and edit translations
6. Publish directly to Zendesk
7. Monitor and re-translate when articles update

Benefits of Automated Translation

• Speed: Translate 50+ articles in minutes instead of weeks
• Formatting preservation: Links, images, code blocks preserved automatically
• Automatic syncing: Monitor missing and outdated translations
• Cost-effective: Typically cents per article instead of tens of dollars
• Direct integration: No export/import steps

Current Limitations

• Limited platform support: Automated tools typically support specific platforms
• Translation quality: Automated translations work well for technical content but may need review for marketing copy
• Platform-specific: Each tool typically supports one or a few platforms

Step-by-Step: Translating Your Zendesk Help Center Today

Here's how to translate your Zendesk help center with the tools available today:

Step 1: Choose Your Approach

• Small help center (< 20 articles): Manual translation
• Medium help center (20-100 articles): Translation management platform
• Large help center (100+ articles): Translation management platform or wait for automated tools

Step 2: Prepare Your Content

1. Review your English articles for clarity and completeness
2. Identify which articles need translation (prioritize high-traffic articles)
3. Choose target languages based on your customer base
4. Create a glossary of product names and technical terms

Step 3: Translate Articles

If using manual translation:

1. Create new articles in Zendesk for each language
2. Translate content (yourself or with a translator)
3. Paste translations and reformat as needed
4. Publish translated articles

If using a translation management platform:

1. Export articles from Zendesk
2. Upload to the translation platform
3. Translate articles using the platform
4. Export translations
5. Import into Zendesk and reformat as needed

Step 4: Keep Translations Updated

1. Track which articles you've updated in English
2. Identify which translations need updates
3. Update translations manually or re-export/re-import
4. Monitor for missing translations in new languages

What's Missing Today

Current translation options for Zendesk have gaps:

• No direct integration: Translation management platforms require export/import steps
• Formatting issues: Exporting and importing can break formatting
• Manual syncing: Tracking which translations need updates requires spreadsheets or manual tracking
• Limited automation: Current workflows typically require manual steps at multiple points

Looking Ahead

Automated translation tools that integrate directly with Zendesk would solve many of these problems. Some tools are exploring Zendesk support based on customer interest. The workflow would be similar to existing Intercom integrations: automatic translation, formatting preservation, and one-click publish directly to Zendesk.

About Translate Desk

Translate Desk is an automated translation tool that currently supports Intercom with direct integration. It automatically imports articles, translates them while preserving formatting, and publishes translations directly to Intercom with one click. Translate Desk also monitors for article changes and can automatically re-translate updated content.

Translate Desk is exploring Zendesk support based on customer interest, but there's no timeline yet. If you're a Zendesk user who needs help center translation, you can contact Translate Desk to share your use case and help prioritize Zendesk support.

Learn More

• See how Translate Desk works with Intercom: Intercom Integration
• Explore all integrations: Translation Integrations
• Read about Zendesk translation: Zendesk Help Center Translation
• Does Intercom Support Translation? — Considering Intercom? See how it handles multilingual content.
• Zendesk to Intercom Migration: Multilingual Guide — How to migrate without losing translations.