From interface translation to integrated multilingual strategy
Faced with rapid growth in Europe, a B2B SaaS company needed to ensure a consistent user experience across all languages.
Orkera helped the company transition from using machine translation in isolation to pursuing an integrated, managed and scalable multilingual strategy.
THE CHALLENGE
An SaaS company rapidly expanding internationally
Our client was a fast-growing B2B provider of an SaaS solution widely recognised within its sector. Initially established in the French-speaking market, the company quickly expanded across Europe, attracting a multilingual clientele.
This expansion highlighted a strategic challenge: delivering a seamless and consistent user experience across all languages.
From the very early stages of development, the technical teams anticipated this development by integrating a TMS (Translation Management System) into their software production pipeline. They opted for Lokalise, a highly reputed centralised translation management platform.
This solution allowed the company to quickly generate multilingual interfaces using the built-in machine translation engine. However, cracks in the armour soon began to appear:
- terminological inconsistency,
- unnatural phrasing,
- context errors,
- inappropriate tones in certain cultures.
All of these pitfalls were undermining the user experience and, ultimately, customer perception of the product. Apparently accurate at first glance, machine translation proved inconsistent when dealing with anything but purely technical context.
In other words, the limitations of using the TMS with minimal configuration and linguistic oversight were soon revealed. The real challenge, therefore, was not to translate more, but to translate better. This meant rethinking the role of language within the product and developing a sustainable linguistic approach in line with the company’s growth.
THE DIAGNOSIS
When translation alone is no longer enough to ensure product consistency
We began by assessing the client’s existing TMS.
The aim was to understand how the system had been set up and how it was used on a daily basis. Our analysis focused on:
- workflow configuration,
- management of user rights,
- consistency of resource files and translation keys.
Once this technical assessment had been carried out, we set to work on the linguistic aspects of the system.
This stage involved:
- creating and standardising multilingual glossaries,
- consolidating existing translation memories,
- introducing protocols for systematic human review in priority languages.
The outcome was a consistent multilingual terminology base, an essential tool for ensuring consistency across the interface.
Our linguists then reviewed the translations in situ to ensure a seamless, natural and authentic user experience in every language.
ORKERA’S CONTRIBUTION
Extending the language strategy beyond the product
Once the linguistic quality of the product side had been restored, a new question arose: why limit the use of the TMS to translating software interfaces?
Orkera supported the gradual rollout of the TMS to other departments, providing training and supporting the onboarding process in order to create a truly cross-functional tool:
- Marketing & Communication: translation of marketing materials, campaigns and sales documentation.
- Web: integration of the TMS with commercial website CMSs to automate multilingual publishing.
- Customer support: access to online help tools and knowledge bases.
- Training: integration with Learning Management Systems (LMS) to rapidly produce multilingual teaching materials.
- Human Resources: translation of SOPs, contracts and global communications to support international growth.
The TMS became the linguistic backbone of the company, a shared tool that standardised practices, sped up production and ensured brand consistency across all channels.
THE IMPACT
The benefits kicked in within a few months:
- consistent terminology across all languages and media,
- update cycle speed doubled,
- reduction in user returns due to translation errors,
- adoption of TMS by product, marketing and HR teams,
- enhanced brand consistency on an international scale.
Translation was no longer a cost, but a driver of performance and credibility.
Artificial intelligence was integrated as a driver of efficiency, without replacing human expertise.
Thanks to the controlled and calibrated use of translation engines, combined with continuous linguistic supervision, Orkera was able to reduce turnaround times and increase productivity, while maintaining a consistent standard of quality across all languages and media.
What are your language projects?
A translation solution is not just an accessory: it is a fully fledged organisational infrastructure.
When designed with this in mind, a TMS supports international growth, enhances the user experience and unites teams around a common language.
Orkera did not simply provide translations on request.
We supported a growing company’s journey towards linguistic maturity – from isolated machine translation to fully integrated multilingual governance.