- Why a help centre needs a different approach than a website
- Integrating with Zendesk, Intercom and other knowledge platforms
- Consistent terminology across product, help centre and marketing
- Screenshots, videos and other multimedia: what to do
- How M21Global localises SaaS knowledge bases
- Related Services
- Frequently Asked Questions
A help centre in English with 800 articles does nothing for a customer in Germany who cannot read technical English. That customer opens three articles, finds no answer, and raises a support ticket that could have been avoided. Multiply this across markets and it becomes clear why growing SaaS companies often localise the knowledge base before they finish localising the product itself.
The question is not whether translating the help centre is worth it. It is how to do it without creating a second product to maintain, because a knowledge base that falls out of date in three languages is worse than having no translation at all.
Why a help centre needs a different approach than a website
A corporate website changes a few times a year. A SaaS knowledge base changes every week: new features, corrected articles, updated screenshots, entire sections rewritten after an interface change.
This has three direct consequences for translation:
- Constant update volume. This is not a one-off project, it is an ongoing flow that needs a repeatable process rather than a single quote.
- A shared translation memory is non-negotiable. Without a TM shared across languages, every update restarts the terminology work from scratch, in every language, every time.
- Version synchronisation. An article left outdated in French while the English version has already changed generates support tickets built on wrong information, which costs more than leaving the article untranslated.
Technical manual translation runs on the same logic of controlled terminology, but a help centre updates far more often and needs tight integration with the platform where the content actually lives.
Integrating with Zendesk, Intercom and other knowledge platforms
The most important decision before requesting a quote is how content leaves the platform and comes back in. The three common approaches:
- Manual CSV or HTML export. Works for small knowledge bases or a first full localisation pass, but does not scale once weekly updates start.
- Native connectors (Zendesk Guide, Intercom Articles, Help Scout). Allow articles flagged for translation to sync directly with the provider, preserving formatting, images and internal links.
- A custom API. For knowledge platforms built in-house, an API integration avoids manual exports and reduces formatting errors.
Whatever the method, the final file needs to preserve HTML tags, code placeholders (variables like `{{user_name}}`) and internal links without breaking them. A common mistake is treating the content as plain text and losing these markers in the process, which forces manual reformatting after translation.
Consistent terminology across product, help centre and marketing
The term that appears on a button in the interface has to match, exactly, the term used in the help article that explains that button. It sounds obvious, but it is the most common failure in SaaS localisation projects that treat the product, the help centre and the marketing site as three separate projects with three different glossaries.
The fix is a single shared glossary covering:
- Interface terms (button names, menus, system states)
- Product terms (feature names, plan tiers, integrations)
- Forbidden or discouraged terms (synonyms that cause confusion between languages)
Keeping this consistent needs an audited process, not just goodwill from the translation team. That distinction is what separates a provider that delivers translated files from one that manages terminology as part of the service, which we cover in how ISO 17100 certification applies to SaaS platforms.
Screenshots, videos and other multimedia: what to do
A help article is rarely text alone. It usually has screenshots with interface text embedded, GIFs showing menus in English, and sometimes videos with captions or voiceover.
The practical options, in order of effort:
- Replace the screenshot with the target-language version, which requires the product to already be localised in that language before the article is written.
- Keep the original screenshot with an explanatory caption in the target language, a middle-ground solution when the product is not yet localised.
- Subtitle videos rather than dub them, faster, cheaper, and generally preferred by users of technical software.
Deciding this article by article, without a policy set in advance, multiplies review time and creates visual inconsistency across the help centre.
How M21Global localises SaaS knowledge bases
M21Global works with software companies to localise interfaces, documentation and knowledge bases as a single flow, with one shared glossary across product and support content. For frequently updated help centres, the Standard tier, built on M21Global's own translation engine with full post-editing by a linguist under ISO 18587, keeps pace with publishing cycles without compromising quality. For high-impact articles, such as terms of service or policies embedded in the help centre, the Estratégica tier adds review by a second linguist.
The team has managed localisation of technical documentation and interface content for markets where product terminology has to sit alongside local regulatory requirements, as described in our work on mobile app localisation for Angola and Mozambique. If your knowledge base needs localising without losing sync with product updates, request a quote from M21Global and get a response within three business hours.
Related Services
Request a free software localisation quote
- Request a free software localisation quote
- Mobile App Localisation Angola Mozambique
- Iso 17100 Localization For Saas Platforms
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do you translate a help centre without it falling out of date with every product release?
You need a workflow built on a shared translation memory and, where possible, direct integration with the knowledge platform (Zendesk, Intercom), so updated articles are flagged and translated without restarting terminology work each time.
Is it worth translating screenshots and videos in a help centre?
It depends on how localised the product itself is. If the interface is already translated, replacing screenshots improves the experience; if not, subtitling videos and using explanatory captions is more efficient than redubbing content.
Which service tier fits a knowledge base with weekly updates?
The Standard tier, built on an in-house translation engine with full post-editing by a linguist under ISO 18587, matches the publishing pace typical of a SaaS help centre without compromising terminology consistency.
Does help centre terminology need to match the product interface exactly?
Yes. A single glossary shared across interface, documentation and support content prevents the same button or feature appearing under different names depending on the channel.
