Your Employee Handbook is an Important Resource

You may feel, and rightly so, that you have more important, or at least more urgent, places to spend your money. We can certainly understand that. Especially for small to medium size enterprises, thinking about translation of internal documents can be stressful. After all, how in the world does this money spent translate into ROI?
We get it. You’ve got to focus on things that make money. To a large extent, we agree with you, and constantly have that mantra in our own office: “But does it make money?” We ask this about everything that comes across our desks, and usually, if there’s no foreseeable, tangible ROI, the project is scrapped.
But at the same time, it’s important to build a strong foundation. If your business lays out its policies and expectations early and in a well documented way, you will save money in the long run. And not only in potential law suits, though that is a concern. Simply in productivity and better customer service from employees who feel heard and respected.
We’ve heard this story so many times: A human resources manager comes to us in a panic, with a serious situation brewing at work. Either a multinational company who didn’t realize the implications of not translating their human resources documents, or an American company with employees who do not speak English. The worst case scenario is a legal battle, as happened with a Colorado vegetable wholesaler.
If we could save even one company from a disaster like that, we’d know we had done something right. It’s not easy when a human resources manager comes to us in a crisis situation. We definitely feel their pain, but we also know that so much of that pain could have been avoided had they known to do their translations well, and in advance.
Unfortunately, there isn’t enough solid information out there about the importance of doing professional translations of employee handbooks and other human resource materials.
Share This Information with Your Human Resources Colleagues
Getting your employee handbooks and other human resources materials translated professionally can seem like a large upfront cost. But it can save you a lot of money in the long run as well as saving you the stress and turmoil of a potential crisis happening.
We hope this has helped you realize the importance of translating your employee handbook. We look forward to sharing more helpful advice about translating your human resources materials in future posts. If you need any translation help at all, feel free to ask us for a free quote. We’re happy to help!