Translating Intercom Articles: A Complete Guide

Your Intercom knowledge base is a critical resource for customer self-service. When customers can find answers in their preferred language, they're more likely to resolve issues independently and have positive experiences with your product.

This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know about translating Intercom articles. You'll learn how to identify which articles need translation, implement effective translation workflows, and maintain high-quality multilingual content that serves customers worldwide.

Why Translate Intercom Articles

Before diving into the how-to, it's important to understand the value of translating your Intercom knowledge base.

Improved Customer Self-Service

Translated articles enable customers to help themselves:

• Language accessibility: Customers find answers in their native language, making information easier to understand
• Faster resolution: Customers resolve issues without waiting for support agents
• 24/7 availability: Multilingual articles provide support around the clock in any language
• Reduced support volume: Self-service reduces the number of support tickets

Improved self-service benefits both customers and your support team.

Better Customer Experience

Multilingual knowledge bases create better experiences:

• Professional appearance: High-quality translations show you care about international customers
• Cultural relevance: Translations can adapt to cultural preferences and communication styles
• Consistent information: All languages contain the same accurate, up-to-date information
• Brand consistency: Translations maintain your brand voice across languages

Better customer experience leads to higher satisfaction and loyalty.

Business Growth

Translated articles support business expansion:

• Market entry: Enter new markets confidently with localized content
• Competitive advantage: Many companies don't offer multilingual knowledge bases
• Scalability: Serve more customers without proportional increases in support staff
• Global reach: Support customers worldwide without language barriers

Business growth becomes easier when customers can help themselves in their preferred language.

Understanding Which Articles Need Translation

Not every article needs translation immediately. Understanding which articles to prioritize helps you allocate resources effectively.

High-Priority Articles

Start with articles that have the most impact:

High-traffic articles: Articles with the most views or searches indicate high customer demand. These should be translated first because they help the most customers.

Critical information: Articles covering essential features, setup processes, or troubleshooting common issues are high priority. Customers need this information to use your product successfully.

Getting started content: Onboarding articles, setup guides, and introductory content help new customers. Translating these early improves the experience for international customers from day one.

Frequently asked questions: FAQ articles address common customer questions. Translating these reduces support volume and helps customers find answers quickly.

Medium-Priority Articles

These articles are important but can wait until high-priority articles are done:

Feature-specific guides: Articles about specific features or advanced functionality are valuable but less urgent than core content.

Troubleshooting guides: Detailed troubleshooting articles help customers resolve complex issues, but they're less frequently accessed than basic guides.

Best practices content: Articles sharing tips, best practices, or optimization strategies are useful but not critical for basic product usage.

Update announcements: Articles about product updates or new features are valuable but time-sensitive, so timing matters more than immediate translation.

Low-Priority Articles

These can be translated later or on-demand:

Archived content: Old articles that are rarely accessed don't need immediate translation.

Niche topics: Articles covering edge cases or specialized topics have limited audience, so translation can wait.

Experimental features: Content about beta features or experimental functionality may change frequently, making translation less urgent.

Internal documentation: Articles meant primarily for internal use don't need translation unless they're customer-facing.

Analyzing Article Performance

Use data to inform translation priorities:

View analytics: Check which articles get the most views in Intercom analytics. High-traffic articles should be translated first.

Search data: Review search queries to understand what customers are looking for. Articles that match common searches are high priority.

Support ticket analysis: Identify which topics generate the most support tickets. Articles addressing these topics should be translated to reduce ticket volume.

Customer feedback: Gather feedback from customers about which articles they need in their language. Direct customer input is valuable for prioritization.

Translation Workflow Best Practices

Effective translation workflows ensure quality and efficiency. Here's how to structure your translation process.

Planning Phase

Before translating, plan your approach:

Define scope: Decide which articles to translate and in which order. Create a prioritized list based on traffic, importance, and customer demand.

Set quality standards: Establish what "good" translation means for your content. Define expectations for accuracy, tone, and terminology.

Allocate resources: Determine who will review translations, how much time is available, and what tools you'll use.

Create timeline: Set realistic timelines for translation projects. Rushing can compromise quality, but delays mean customers wait longer for multilingual content.

Translation Phase

Execute translations systematically:

Use translation tools: Leverage translation platforms that integrate with Intercom to automate workflows and maintain consistency.

Apply glossaries: Use custom glossaries to ensure product names, technical terms, and brand terminology translate consistently.

Maintain formatting: Preserve article structure, formatting, and links during translation. Formatting errors confuse readers and look unprofessional.

Preserve context: Ensure translations maintain the meaning and intent of source content, not just word-for-word accuracy.

Review Phase

Review translations before publishing:

Accuracy check: Verify translations accurately convey the meaning of source content. Technical accuracy is especially important for support articles.

Terminology review: Confirm product names, features, and technical terms are translated correctly and consistently.

Tone and style: Ensure translations maintain appropriate formality and match your brand voice. Support articles should be helpful and professional.

Formatting verification: Check that formatting, links, and structure are preserved correctly in translated versions.

Native speaker review: When possible, have native speakers review translations for natural language and cultural appropriateness.

Publishing Phase

Publish translations carefully:

Test before publishing: Preview translations in Intercom to ensure they display correctly and links work.

Publish systematically: Publish translations in a logical order, starting with high-priority articles.

Monitor after publishing: Watch for issues, customer feedback, or errors after publishing translations.

Update as needed: Be ready to update translations if source articles change or issues are discovered.

Maintaining Translation Quality

Quality is crucial for multilingual knowledge bases. Here's how to maintain high standards.

Use Translation Glossaries

Glossaries ensure consistent terminology:

Product names: Define how product names and features appear in each language. Some names may not translate, while others need localization.

Technical terms: Include domain-specific terminology that must translate accurately. Technical accuracy is critical for support articles.

Brand terminology: Define how brand names, marketing terms, and company-specific language should be handled.

Common phrases: Add frequently used support phrases and standard responses to glossaries.

Regular updates: Keep glossaries current as your product evolves and new terms emerge.

Set Appropriate Formality Levels

Formality affects how translations read:

Support context: Support articles typically use formal or neutral tone. Avoid overly casual language that might seem unprofessional.

Language differences: Different languages have different formality conventions. Research appropriate formality for each language.

Consistency: Maintain consistent formality across all articles in the same language. Inconsistent tone confuses readers.

Brand alignment: Ensure formality matches your brand voice and customer expectations.

Preserve Article Structure

Maintain structure during translation:

Headings and hierarchy: Preserve heading structure so articles remain scannable and easy to navigate.

Lists and formatting: Keep bullet points, numbered lists, and other formatting consistent.

Links and references: Ensure internal and external links work correctly in translated articles.

Code blocks and examples: Preserve code examples, screenshots references, and technical content accurately.

Handle Cultural Differences

Consider cultural context:

Date and time formats: Adapt date, time, and number formats to local conventions.

Cultural references: Be aware of cultural references that might not translate well or need adaptation.

Communication styles: Different cultures have different communication preferences. Adapt style while maintaining accuracy.

Legal and compliance: Ensure translations comply with local regulations and requirements where applicable.

Managing Updates and Changes

Articles change over time, and translations need to stay current.

Detecting Article Changes

Know when articles update:

Automatic detection: Use translation tools that automatically detect when source articles change.

Manual review: Periodically review source articles to identify updates that need translation.

Version tracking: Track article versions to understand what changed and when.

Change notifications: Set up alerts when articles are updated so translations can be updated promptly.

Updating Translations

Update translations efficiently:

Identify changes: Determine what changed in the source article and how it affects translations.

Partial updates: When possible, update only the changed sections rather than retranslating entire articles.

Full retranslation: For major changes, retranslate entire articles to ensure consistency.

Quality review: Review updated translations with the same rigor as new translations.

Version Control

Manage translation versions:

Track versions: Keep track of which translation version corresponds to which source article version.

Maintain history: Preserve translation history to understand how content evolved.

Rollback capability: Be able to revert to previous translation versions if needed.

Documentation: Document translation versions and update processes for team reference.

Scaling Translation Efforts

As your knowledge base grows, scale translation processes efficiently.

Prioritization Strategies

Focus on what matters most:

Traffic-based: Translate articles with the most views first, as they help the most customers.

Language-based: Prioritize languages with the most customer demand or strategic importance.

Content-based: Focus on core content before advanced or niche topics.

Feedback-driven: Use customer feedback to identify which articles customers need most.

Automation Opportunities

Automate where possible:

Automatic sync: Automatically sync articles from Intercom to translation tools.

Batch translation: Translate multiple articles simultaneously to save time.

Automatic updates: Automatically update translations when source articles change.

Quality checks: Use automated quality checks to catch common errors before review.

Team Collaboration

Enable team collaboration:

Review assignments: Assign translation reviews to team members with appropriate language skills.

Feedback systems: Create ways for team members to provide feedback on translations.

Shared glossaries: Allow multiple team members to contribute to and maintain glossaries.

Documentation: Document translation processes so team members can contribute effectively.

Common Challenges and Solutions

Here are solutions to common translation challenges.

Challenge: Maintaining Consistency

Problem: Terminology and style vary across translations.

Solution: Use comprehensive glossaries, establish style guidelines, and review translations systematically. Translation memory tools can also help maintain consistency.

Challenge: Keeping Translations Current

Problem: Source articles change frequently, making it hard to keep translations updated.

Solution: Use translation tools that automatically detect changes and streamline update workflows. Prioritize updates for high-traffic articles.

Challenge: Quality Control

Problem: Ensuring translation quality across many articles and languages.

Solution: Establish clear quality standards, implement review processes, and use native speakers when possible. Automated quality checks can catch common issues.

Challenge: Resource Constraints

Problem: Limited time or budget for translation work.

Solution: Prioritize high-impact articles, use translation automation to reduce manual work, and start with languages that have the most customer demand.

Measuring Success

Track metrics to understand translation impact.

Usage Metrics

Measure how translated articles are used:

View counts: Track how many views translated articles receive compared to source articles.

Search performance: Monitor whether customers find translated articles through search.

Language distribution: Understand which languages customers use most.

Engagement: Measure time on page, bounce rates, and other engagement metrics for translated articles.

Support Impact

Measure impact on support operations:

Ticket reduction: Track whether translated articles reduce support ticket volume for specific topics.

Resolution time: Measure whether multilingual articles help customers resolve issues faster.

Customer satisfaction: Gather feedback on whether translated articles meet customer needs.

Agent efficiency: Understand how translated articles affect agent workload and efficiency.

Quality Metrics

Monitor translation quality:

Accuracy: Track translation accuracy through reviews and customer feedback.

Consistency: Measure terminology consistency across articles and languages.

Update frequency: Monitor how quickly translations are updated when source articles change.

Error rates: Track translation errors and issues that need correction.

Conclusion

Translating Intercom articles effectively requires understanding which articles to prioritize, implementing efficient workflows, and maintaining quality over time. By following the practices outlined in this guide, you can build a multilingual knowledge base that serves customers worldwide.

The key to success is starting with high-priority articles, using the right tools and processes, and continuously improving based on customer feedback and usage data. With proper planning and execution, translated Intercom articles can significantly improve customer self-service and support operations.

Ready to get started? Learn how to integrate Translate Desk with Intercom or explore how Translate Desk simplifies multilingual support.