Human resources are the foundation of your company. If your company employs a multilingual workforce or is a multinational company, you’ll need to have your human resources documents translated in addition to your training material.

Let’s explore some of the Human Resources documents that require translation and their significance.

Translation of  Key Human Resource Documents

Internal Policies

Roles, rules, expectations, consequences – all of these fall under the umbrella of policy. These are the documents that set the standards of acceptable behavior, lays out boundaries and recognizes employee needs for fair treatment.

Even within a solely English speaking company, you would not do business without a set of written internal policies. As you embrace a global economy and diverse workforce, effective translation of Internal Policies ensures that everyone understands your rules the exact same way. Not only does it mean that employees will feel that they are treated equally and fairly but it protects your company from lawsuits resulting from unclear policies.

Employee Handbooks And Manuals

Your employee handbook is essentially a communication tool, which underscores the importance of ensuring that everyone understands it.

An Employee handbook covers information such as company policies, paid vacations, compensation, attendance, employment evaluations, dress code, medical benefits among other important benefits and rules. For instance, having a Spanish translation of Employee Handbooks goes a long way for your Hispanic workforce.

Moreover, failing to translate key communication documents violates language laws in some countries and can result in lawsuits that are far more costly than translating your Employee Handbook.

Even if multilingual employees understand English, having a handbook translated in their native language will ensure that everyone understands the policies the same way, minimizing your liability.

It should go without saying that these essential documents should be translated with complete accuracy, taking into account both the literal translation and the underlying cultural meaning. This makes shortcuts extremely risky. Be sure your translations are provided by professionals who understand the target language and culture.

Training Materials

A well-trained employee is one of your biggest assets. Training encompasses everything from sales and marketing to understanding competitors and the marketplace, the ability to troubleshoot, solve problems and more.

Proper training leads to better performance, improved customer service and a safer workplace. In fact, studies have shown that a company’s service costs decrease when training and reference materials are provided in an employee’s native language.

In today’s workplace, training materials can come in a variety of formats, including printed manuals, CDs, intranet websites and can include the written word as well as audio and video. Each of these training courses should be translated to effectively help train your employees in textually and visually appropriate ways.

Benefits Packages

Given the magnitude of importance of having policies, handbooks and training materials translated, benefits packages may come in a distant second. But consider that a good benefits package is key in attracting and retaining top talent and you can begin to understand why employees (and potential hires) should be able to clearly understand these documents.

A well trained and informed workforce is a must have in this competitive day and age. Pay attention to the translation requirements of your workforce and plan effectively the translation of your HR documents so you can develop the right glossary and terminology attuned to the culture and requirements of your company and products. Look for a partner that provides translation solutions and can guide you in navigating the diverse world of a multilingual work force.

Internal Newsletters

“How’s the Company doing?  What’s going on in the Branch in Mexico?”  These are all possible questions asked by employees working at large, multi-branch companies.  Having an internal company newsletter is one of the most common methods of keeping employees abreast of major corporate announcements such as significant milestones, achievements, objectives, etc. 

My management professor likes to say of newsletters- “It keeps the oars (the employees) of your boat (your company) moving in the same direction”.  Which is why, it is of utmost importance to have your company newsletter translated properly into the target languages of your employees.  It helps keep your employees on the same page, with a clear direction on achieving the same goals.  Keeping all your employees at global branches informed, helps to strengthen your corporate culture and values.