How do I review translations?

Learn how to review translation quality, check for accuracy, and ensure your translated content is ready to publish.

Reviewing translations before publishing ensures your help center content is accurate, consistent, and ready for your audience. This guide explains how to review translations effectively.

Accessing Translations

To review a translation:

  1. Navigate to the Articles page from your dashboard
  2. Click on the article you want to review
  3. The article details panel opens showing the source article and all translations
  4. Use the language dropdown to switch between the source article and translated versions

Each translation shows the complete article content: title, description, and body.

What to Check

When reviewing translations, focus on these key areas:

Accuracy

  • Content meaning: Does the translation convey the same meaning as the source?
  • Technical terms: Are technical terms translated correctly and consistently?
  • Numbers and dates: Are numbers, dates, and measurements accurate?
  • Links: Do all links work and point to the correct destinations?

Language Quality

  • Grammar and spelling: Is the language grammatically correct?
  • Natural phrasing: Does the text read naturally in the target language?
  • Tone consistency: Does the tone match your brand voice and the formality level you selected?
  • Cultural appropriateness: Is the content appropriate for the target audience's culture?

Formatting and Structure

  • HTML preservation: Are headings, lists, links, and other formatting elements intact?
  • Structure: Is the article structure maintained (sections, paragraphs, etc.)?
  • Media: Are images, videos, and other media elements preserved?
  • Code blocks: If your article contains code examples, are they preserved correctly?

Brand Consistency

  • Brand names: Are brand names, product names, and company names consistent?
  • Terminology: Are key terms translated consistently with your glossary (if used)?
  • Style: Does the translation match your brand's writing style and guidelines?

Review Workflow

Quick Review

For articles that don't require extensive review:

  1. Open the article and select the translated language
  2. Skim through the title, description, and key sections
  3. Check that formatting looks correct
  4. Verify any critical information (prices, dates, contact info)
  5. If everything looks good, mark it ready to push

Detailed Review

For important articles or when quality is critical:

  1. Compare side-by-side: Switch between source and translation to compare content
  2. Read the full translation: Read the entire translated article as if you were a customer
  3. Check specific sections: Pay extra attention to:
    • Headlines and subheadings
    • Call-to-action buttons or links
    • Step-by-step instructions
    • Error messages or troubleshooting steps
  4. Verify technical content: If the article contains technical information, verify accuracy
  5. Test links: Click through any links to ensure they work

Common Issues to Watch For

Translation Errors

  • Literal translations: Sometimes translations can be too literal and sound unnatural
  • Missing context: Technical terms or phrases might need more context
  • Incorrect terminology: Industry-specific terms might be translated incorrectly

Formatting Issues

  • Broken HTML: Sometimes formatting can be disrupted during translation
  • Missing elements: Lists, tables, or other structured content might not render correctly
  • Link problems: Links might be broken or point to wrong destinations

Consistency Issues

  • Inconsistent terminology: The same term might be translated differently in different places
  • Style variations: Tone or formality might vary within the same article
  • Brand name variations: Brand or product names might appear inconsistently

Using Glossaries to Improve Quality

If you notice inconsistent terminology, consider creating or updating a glossary. Glossaries ensure that specific terms are always translated the same way across all your articles.

For example, if "account settings" should always be translated as "configuración de cuenta" in Spanish, add it to your glossary. Then re-translate articles to apply the glossary.

Learn more in How do I create and use glossaries?.

When to Re-translate

You may need to re-translate an article if:

  • The translation has significant errors
  • Terminology is inconsistent and you've updated your glossary
  • You want to change the formality level
  • The source article was updated and the translation is outdated

To re-translate:

  1. Select the article
  2. Click Translate
  3. Choose the same language(s) again
  4. Adjust any options (formality, glossary) if needed
  5. Start the translation

Note that re-translating uses credits again.

Marking Translations as Ready

After reviewing a translation:

  1. If the translation looks good, you can push it to Intercom
  2. If you find issues, you can re-translate with different settings or update your glossary first
  3. Translations with status "Ready to Push" are ready to be published

Learn how to publish translations in How do I push translations to Intercom?.

Quality Tips

  1. Review early translations carefully: Use your first few translations to understand the quality and adjust settings if needed
  2. Build glossaries proactively: Create glossaries before translating large batches to ensure consistency
  3. Test with native speakers: If possible, have native speakers review translations for natural language
  4. Document issues: Keep track of common translation issues to improve your process
  5. Use consistent settings: Use the same formality level and glossaries for related articles

Getting Help

If you consistently see quality issues:

  • Check your source content - clear, well-written source content produces better translations
  • Review your formality settings - the wrong formality level can affect quality
  • Update your glossaries - glossaries help ensure consistency
  • Consider the article complexity - very technical or creative content may need more review

For more tips, see How can I improve translation quality?.

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