Does My Organization Need Multilingual Enterprise Software?

We’ve been involved in the design, development, and implementation of enterprise-level software for over 20 years, which is why our team of experts put together this 10-part series on evaluating Enterprise-level software. We’ll cover topics ranging from security, data collection and reporting requirements, implementation resources, pricing/cost models, and more, to ensure your next enterprise software deployment is a success. You can also download the entire Evaluating Enterprise-level Software whitepaper here.  ____________ Last week we looked at the importance of discovering whether the new enterprise software you’re considering meets your reporting requirements. Does the solution you’re evaluating meet these requirements? Let’s move on to the language requirements of your organization. 

Enterprise Software Needs to be Multilingual

Officially – or unofficially – most companies have a designated corporate ‘operating’ language used for company-wide communication and reporting. However, that doesn’t mean that most companies operate solely in one language. In fact, many companies today – large and small – operate in numerous countries, cultures, and languages. Top business languages worldwide include English, Chinese, Spanish, Arabic,  German, and many more. Large companies are embracing the multilingual trend internally and in their product offerings. Amazon recently announced that Alexa will be available in “multilingual” mode in the US, Canadian and Indian markets.  So, when considering a software solution that will be used by many across your company, make sure it will work for all users regardless of language. Furthermore, make sure that the solution doesn’t just offer a multilingual user interface but is truly multi-lingual and will allow your team to use the solution (e.g. complete and report audits or inspections) in their own language. When considering an enterprise-level solution for your business, ask yourself these questions:

• Is the product interface offered in multiple languages and those that your business needs?
• Can you add your own languages and translations to the solution?
• Can data be collected (e.g. conduct audits and inspections) in any language?
• Can data be reported (e.g. report audit and inspection results) in any language?

Next week, we’ll continue our series on evaluating enterprise software by exploring the central administration capabilities of the software.