The answer to cross-site process compliance? Multilingual management systems!

The translation dilemma
You probably know the situation: as an international company, you’re faced with the daunting task of providing extensive documentation in multiple languages. But translation ties up valuable resources that would be better spent actually optimizing your processes. If you don’t translate your documentation, you risk misunderstandings — and acceptance of your management system drops. A real dilemma! But don’t worry: there is a happy ending.

Multiple languages: a must for every management system
Let’s set the problems aside for a moment. Because there are strong reasons why you should absolutely work toward a multilingual management system:

• Fast and reliable onboarding of international colleagues: Multilingual systems allow new employees to familiarize themselves quickly in the language they are most comfortable with.
• More efficient process documentation: Decentralized process documentation at all locations helps you use resources more effectively and overcome language barriers.
• Up-to-date content in the management system: Global requirements are aligned with local processes and continuously updated — which increases acceptance among employees.
• Visibility of interface issues: Clear, well-defined interfaces strengthen international collaboration and create a decisive competitive advantage.

Best practice: How to implement multilingual systems
And here comes the happy ending: establishing multilingual structures in your organization and management system may be challenging — but it’s absolutely achievable. It simply requires strategic planning and clear guidelines that have already proven effective in practice. Here’s how to successfully integrate multilingualism while ensuring consistent process quality:

• Define a leading language for each location:
  To ensure clear communication, each site should document content in its primary business language. For example, headquarters might work in English, while the Munich site uses German. This guarantees that all relevant information is accessible in the respective local language.
• Approve processes in the leading language first:
  Always create and approve processes in the leading language before translating them. This safeguards consistency and quality.
• Provide all processes in all languages:
  Make sure every employee can read every process in their preferred language — regardless of location. This strengthens international collaboration and improves onboarding. Employees can comment on proposed changes directly in their native language.
• Ensure ease of use:
  Content in all required languages should be available directly in the management system — without additional tools. An intelligent multilingual search is essential so employees can easily find, understand, and adopt guidelines.

A key factor for successful international teams

By following these best practices, you lay the foundation for effective collaboration across countries and languages. With a multilingual management system as your vehicle, you consolidate knowledge efficiently and bring your international teams together in one central place.