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Top 10 Lessons for Successful International SAP® Rollouts ©2015, Lucy Software & Services GmbH

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Overcoming Cultural Barriers

Translation Pays

Outsource or In-house Translation?

There is more to it than just Translation

Quality Counts

Interpreters Help Make Rollouts a Success

Getting Training Right

Managing Multilingual Rollout Communication

Testing and Troubleshooting

Get Professional Help

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Top 10 Lessons for

Successful International SAP Rollouts®

“Hello World“


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Cultural Awareness TrainingPerform at least basic cultural awareness programs

for your rollout teams. This will not solve all the issues,

but it will make a difference.

Project PlanningPlan for much more time (also in-country).

Do fit-gap analysis on-site and make sure you really

understand the local requirements.

Confirm all interaction in writing.

Solution

Potential Challenges

More often than not international

SAP® rollouts are planned based

on a local blueprint and initial rollout

experience. The rollout, for example,

to China or Brazil is supposed to be a

replica of the successful rollout in North

America.

You have lined up training in Mandarin or Portuguese.

You have even planned for the challenges of Chinese

Golden Tax or Nota Fiscal.

All should go smoothly.

So far the theory.

BarriersCulturalOvercoming1

Meeting CultureYou may be familiar with meetings where ideas and

opinions are freely exchanged, such as brainstorming

sessions.

In certain cultures, the concept of an “open” meeting is

unknown. All sharing and discussion of ideas is strictly

ordered and subject to position in a hierarchy.

Unprepared sessions are not really welcome and can even

be counterproductive. In the worst case, meetings may

result in silence and misunderstandings.

HierarchiesIn some cultures, management hierarchies are very

important.

Any decisions require the presence or explicit approval by

the responsible manager. If that person is not taking part in

your meeting, you cannot expect any direct results, nor can

you expect direct feedback.

And then a little thing called CULTURE gets in the way. We

interpret interaction with others based on our own culture,

education and expectations – and that is where the

problems start. People are different; sometimes more so

than we might think.


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You cannot assume all business users have sufficient command of English

to either properly operate an SAP system or to engage in English SAP training

Do not think of translation or local language interaction as a cost factor, think of it as a

business necessity, just as you would for a piece of additional business functionality.

Even if you still decide to leave the system UI in English, at a minimum you need to

plan to hold training and rollout sessions in the local language = translation of slide decks.

You will find that investing in , that is, your custom SAP developmentstranslating your system UI

more than pays for itself. Users learn processes faster. They operate the systems more efficiently.

They make fewer mistakes. The result: smoother rollouts, happier users and lower overall costs.

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Consequences for International SAP Rollouts

Who Speaks English?English is NOT the world’s first language (by number of

native speakers).

It is actually in 4th place behind Chinese, Hindi and

Spanish. As regards Internet websites English is only just

ahead of Chinese.

In certain countries people do have a good command of

English simply because their languages are restricted in

reach (for example, in Scandinavia or the Netherlands), but

that is the exception.

Translation is an issue in any international rollout. The

tendency is to try to keep costs to a minimum and so avoid

translation wherever possible. “Surely anyone that can

operate an SAP system speaks enough English to log on

and work in English?” So goes the argument.

Do all your SAP users speak English?

Is the zero translation approach really the cheapest and the

best?

Translation Pays2

Across the globe business people with a college education

often have a reasonable command of written English.

Senior managers and employees in areas like finance can

work with English. However, this does not necessarily

mean that they are able to clearly express themselves on

complex subjects, for example, in a training context or in

rollout discussions.

Many involved in day-to-day business processes, for

example in a manufacturing context, have little or no

command of English, for example in China, Southern and

Eastern Europe and South America.


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Outsourcing the SAP translation activity to professional SAP translators pays in the long run.

They produce quality SAP translations for the system UI as well as for training materials.

Good translations make the end-user experience a positive and successful one.

Let your internal people focus on their core competencies.

Extra budget required

Not immediately familiar

with company jargon

Authorization required for

system access

Professional SAP translators

produce quality translations

Highly familiar with SAP and

business terminology

Experts in usage of tools

Fast when translating -

SAP translation is their bread

and butter

Scalable. You can add more

resources if you are under

time pressure

Keeps people from their

normal work (so there is an

indirect cost associated)

Translation is not a core

competence

= uncertain quality

Not familiar with translation

tools

Tend to make mistakes and

are slower

Not scalable

No extra budget required

More familiar with company

jargon

Fewer issues with system

access

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Outsourced TranslationIn-house Translation

They do not appear in the cost spreadsheet. You do not

need to go through a procurement process.

Is this the best approach? Check out the table below for

guidance.

So, you have decided to invest in translation for your rollout

project. Should you use internal resources or should you

look for external help?

More often than not you will have pressure to reduce project

costs by using internal resources.

In-houseTranslation?

Outsourceor3


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2 set up

translation

3 define

scope

4 define

terminology5 translate

9 iterative

translation

8 trouble-

shoot7 test

6 transport

to test system

1 Check

translatability

Before you even start translation, you need to check that the texts you want to

translate are indeed translatable. For example, screen elements may be “hard-

coded”, that is, not defined separately as a translatable text element but as text

strings within the code. These screen elements cannot be translated.

When you develop SAP applications in English that are also destined for

international markets you need to adapt development guidelines accordingly. For

example, you need to ensure that field lengths are set to at least 150% of the length

of the English texts to accommodate longer texts in the foreign languages.

Example: English: “SAVE”, French: “SAUVEGARDER”.

Call in experts to help define exactly what you need to translate – this is key for

budgeting and planning and to perform the works with appropriate quality.

Typically you translate user interface texts in an SAP development or consolidation

system. Once translation has been performed, the foreign language texts must be

transported to the Q system for testing and then on to Production.

A plan must be in place for this activity.

For any SAP development and rollout project you will have planned for a

User Acceptance Test (UAT). For an international rollout plan also for a

Language Acceptance Test (LAT). See lesson 9. This involves testing if�

a) all screens and outputs are fully available in the foreign language,

b) the translations are understandable for business users.

Defects and/or incidents will be logged by end users when translations are missing

or incorrect. You need to define a process for handling these tickets.

You will also need problem solvers. Language troubleshooting experts are required

for this activity. See lesson 9�

Once initial translation is complete, that is not the end of the road. As additional

functionality is added or existing functionality is corrected, translations must be

updated. Translation is an iterative process.

The worst thing you can do is to start translation and then not continue.

The result is screens with mixed languages and very unhappy end user

Translate delta

development

Defect processing &

troubleshooting

Test translations

Move translations through

the SAP Landscape

Scope and Perform Translation

Organize development for

international deployment

Check for translatability

What to doActivity

When translating the user

interface of your custom SAP

developments and configurations

you need to be aware that the

translation activity itself is just a

part of a bigger, iterative process.

Typical translation lifecycle when translating the user interface of SAP applications

than just Translation

There is more to it4


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66Top 10 Lessons for Successful International SAP® Rollouts ©2015, Lucy Software & Services GmbH

Do not cut corners.

Use professional SAP translators from the outset.

They are the best guarantee of quality. Your

foreign end users will thank you for it.

This will result in smoother rollouts, fewer

defects, and improved system acceptance.

Keep to StandardSAP Terminology

Your SAP applications typically consist to 90% of SAP

standard applications (translated by SAP) and 10% of your

own custom developments and configuration. For the end

users there is no difference – it all appears as one system.

It is therefore all the more important that you always

translate your custom texts using the same translations as

defined by SAP otherwise your end users will be confused. If

they see two different translations they will think there are

two different terms/concepts.

A great point of reference for SAP terminology is SAPterm,

SAP’s database of terminology that is delivered with every

SAP Basis system (transaction STERM). Professional SAP

translators are intimately familiar with SAP terminology

and will know which translations to choose for a particular

business context (finance, sales etc.).

Build in Quality Check

For an international rollout involving translated user

interfaces you also need to plan for a Language Acceptance

Test (LAT), see lesson 9. Check if translations are�

complete and if they are correct.

Only a professional SAP translator will be able to check on

the meaning of the source text “Dep.” and will be able to

select the correct translation to use. Often this means

looking at the application context or even examining the

coding.

This is not a job for interns or other “cheap” resources.

Obviously, choosing the right term is critical for the end

user.

German:

“abhängig” “Abteilung” “Pfand” “Abschreibung”

Example:

English: “Dep.” can mean:

“dependent” “department” “deposit” “depreciation”

What is Translation Quality?

A translated SAP user interface must be as understandable

and easy to use as the English original.

That is the definition of quality.

A poor, or worse, incorrect translation can mislead or

confuse the end user. This hinders efficient operation of the

system and can actually to lead to real errors.

When you program custom SAP functionality for your

company you take measures to ensure the quality of the

programs in terms of robustness and usability. You want to

guarantee that the code actually fulfills the business

requirements.

Do the same for translation!

The same quality standards should apply to translations

of your custom SAP interface texts as to your SAP

applications.

Quality Counts5


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“The Lucy Software Japanese interpreters

made a significant contribution to the success

of our rollout activities in Japan.

Without them it would have been tough.”

Customer Experience withInterpreters in a JapaneseRollout

A large SAP customer successfully rolled out SAP ERP

functionality to Japan in 2014.

Translation and interpreting played a major role in all

rollout activities.

Work On-site and Remotely

Interpreters are invaluable for on-site, face-to-face

engagements, but also for telephone conference calls that

often make up a large portion of project interaction in

international projects. Also watch for time zone issues here!

Good interpreters with SAP experience help you

overcome language and cultural barriers during all

phases of an international rollout. They can make the

difference between a highly stressful rollout and a

positive rollout experience with high end-user

acceptance in the target country.

Fit-gap Analysis / Design and Implementation

Process

Achieving project buy-in from your target country means

engaging on-site, in-country, and truly understanding

local business processes and requirements.

Interpreters are invaluable in getting this information for

you and in best communicating your plans so that there

are no misunderstandings.

On-Site Testing

Local business personnel performing testing can only

provide accurate feedback in their own language.

Interpreters sitting with these people can feed this

information in English to the project development

teams.

Training Sessions

If your key trainers do not speak the local language (for

example, they are experts from the USA), then you really

need interpreters in place. Your experts speak in English,

even if slide decks may be in the local language.

The interpreters ensure that trainees feel free to

formulate questions in their own language. This avoids

the typical “silence” in so many classes where

attendees’ English is lacking. Trainees have a much

better learning experience and get up to speed faster.

During go-live, interpreters can assist in quickly

clarifying any issues. This is so critical the first time you

actually run month’s end closing, for example.

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When Can Interpreters Help?

Interpreters can be of great benefit at various stages of

a rollout.

When you face serious language and cultural barriers in

your rollouts, as you might for instance in Asia, but not only

there, you will find that experienced SAP interpreters can

make the world of difference in making your rollout a

success.

Interpreters Help MakeRollouts a Success

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Even if you are not translating the system UI,

translation is a MUST for training materials.

E-Learning SystemsIf you are using online learning and reference systems such

as ANCILE uPerform™, Assima, Datango performance suite

or others you need to make the content available in the

local language. As for classroom training, it is far easier for

trainees to understand new concepts and processes in their

own language. Basic system interaction and instructions

such as “Click Enter to confirm” are translated

automatically by these systems (there is a table of standard

translations). Additional explanations and guidance that

you add (for example, in the form of text bubbles) can be

extracted as XLIFF files and translated by SAP translators

with industry-standard translation management systems.

Translate User Interface beforeTraining MaterialsIf you are translating the system UI of your SAP

applications you should only translate training materials

when UI translation is complete. Otherwise, references to

menu items, field names, transactions and so on may not

correspond to the reality of the SAP system. This will pose a

problem during training as the trainees will be following the

instructions in the training materials and may be confused

when the texts do not match those on the screen.

Synchronization of Terminologywith the System User InterfaceMake sure that the translations you use for the system UI

are the same as those used in the training materials, or you

will confuse your trainees.

Face-to-Face Classroom Trainingor E-Learning?E-learning with system simulations is increasingly popular:

trainees can learn at their own pace and they can run

through processes multiple times. Due to the challenges of

international audiences, you will find that it is still

advantageous to run classic classroom training sessions,

face-to-face. Your trainees will thank you for it.

Translate as Much as PossibleSo how much do you need to translate?

The recommendation is: as much as possible.

Classroom TrainingEven if you are holding classroom-type training sessions in

English with English-speaking process experts, it is very

helpful for the trainees to have the training content in their

own language. Where English skills are weak, having an

additional reference in your own language really helps

comprehension and accelerates the learning process.

Also consider using interpreters as an additional aid for

understanding ( see lesson 6). There are various options:�

� You present parallel slide decks: one in English and one

in the foreign language

� You use English decks, but the trainees have a separate

(printed) copy in their language for reference

� You speak in English but the slide deck is in the foreign

language and the presenter has an extra copy in English

to refer to. Sounds awkward, but actually this works

very well.

Training is a key element of any rollout. For international

rollouts there is the additional challenge of overcoming any

cultural and, in particular, language barriers.

If trainees cannot easily understand what you are saying

because you are presenting new concepts to them in

English – a foreign language – learning will be slow and

acceptance poor. So training plans need to be considered

carefully.

Getting Training Right7


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Defect and Incident Tickets

You have processes for handling defects and incidents, but

are you prepared for international users logging defects in a

foreign language? Often 1st or 2nd level support is provided

by key users in-country; in this case ticket processing in the

local language is no problem.

However, if the local support teams cannot resolve the

issues, they will refer the tickets to 3rd level support that

often comprises English-speaking support personnel at

headquarters (for example, in the USA) or support teams in

India (again English-speaking). How can they handle

tickets that are not in English?

You need to consider this in your ticket workflow.

Either you need personnel to translate key tickets (in both

directions), or you may want to look at using automated

translation. In this way, support personnel can understand

the rough issue and, if required, have key tickets translated

by humans.

Lucy Software offers secure solutions in this space

providing machine translation of tickets within your

corporate firewall so nothing goes to the Internet but your

support personnel can more readily understand the issues.

Telephone Conferences

If e-mails are difficult, telephone conferences are an even

greater challenge: bad telephone lines, difficult accents, a

poor command of the common project language and time

zone challenges can create a nightmare scenario.

Such telephone conferences are inefficient, frustrating for

the participants and are a real cost factor.

A few suggestions for getting the most from your

international telephone conferences:

� Send agendas, key information and supporting

materials well in advance so people can prepare.

� Consider translating these materials for foreign

audiences.

� Ensure that telephone quality and connectivity are

adequate; test in advance.

� Speak clearly and slowly (exaggerate!).

� Consider using interpreters for important calls. They

can make all the difference in getting the message

across and avoiding any serious misunderstandings.

E-Mail Exchange

E-mail is probably the main medium for information

exchange: project announcements, exchange of planning

information. Often you will have project members from

multiple geographies, some native speakers (say of

English), some from India, with varying degrees of fluency

in English, still others for whom English is a foreign

language and who have great difficulty in expressing

themselves clearly, particularly on difficult technical

subjects.

For geographies where English is a major challenge (for

example, Asia) you may consider an e-mail translation

service to intercept e-mails and translate them in both

directions. This can really improve communication and

avoid misunderstandings, even if it means extra overhead.

In any international rollout project communication between

the teams is a major part of the work. Language barriers

also often make it a huge headache.

Multilingual Project Communication

Managing8


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Defect and Incident Processing

Within your ticket processing system, for example, HP

Quality Center Enterprise software, ServiceNow software®

or SAP Solution Manager, you must define an appropriate

process for managing language-related tickets including

roles and responsibilities. Ideally you will define a

translation resolution group that deals with all language-

related issues. This process is required prior to and after go-

live.

Also take into consideration a potential need for translating

tickets.

Troubleshooting

If translations are missing or incorrect business users will

log a ticket and often attach a screenshot highlighting the

error. The task is then to identify the relevant technical

object that is affected in order to perform the correction.

This requires skilled resources with appropriate experience.

These resources have a mixed skill set of SAP Basis and

language skills.

As this is not a core competence, many companies

outsource this specialized activity to SAP language experts

like Lucy Software.

In this case, all related tasks are handled by one

competent partner, from object location to translation

and the provision of an appropriate language transport

in readiness for re-testing.

Language Acceptance Tests(LATs)

In a multilingual scenario, alongside functional testing, you

need to test for the following:

� Completeness of the translation

Does everything appear in the relevant log-on

language?

Do you have any mixed-language screens, or

completely missing texts?

� Appropriateness of the translation

Is the translation correct in the given context?

Do your business users readily understand what they

need to do?

Typically it makes sense to include a language

acceptance test within general user testing. This

reduces overhead. In-country business users should

perform the testing by working through transactions.

Testing should NOT be performed on the basis of Excel

spreadsheets with source: target language.

It is also important to provide testers with guidelines for

feedback. Personal linguistic preferences should not play a

role.

Example:

“Head of department” is the same as “Department

manager” and does not warrant a defect.

In any project plan, you will include integration testing,

user acceptance tests, final dress rehearsals.

For an international rollout you also need

to check for language.

What do you need to consider?

Testing & Troubleshooting9


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Strategy Translate SupportAudit/Introduction

� The third phase involves performing translation and

interpreting work for the initial rollout.

� If desired, we can also support you long-term for all

delta developments and new releases.

� We start by auditing your systems, understanding your

precise requirements and introducing you to SAP

translation processes.

� For larger rollouts we develop and document a full short

and long-term language strategy.

Your Steps to Success

� Over 100 successful international SAP rollouts

� 11,000,000 lines of SAP UI translated

into 24 languages

� 10,000,000 words of training and

rollout materials translated

Lucy Software and ServicesYour Competent Partner

International rollouts are clearly a real challenge. Yet often

you neither have the resources nor the competence in the

area of languages to overcome these hurdles on your own.

Successful rollouts depend very much on finding an

experienced, field-proven partner that is familiar with all

language-related issues and has appropriate resources and

strategies to bridge the gap to success.

You can focus on your core competencies and avoid

typical pitfalls.

Get Professional Help10

Lucy Software is an official SAP Language Consulting and

Translation Services partner. A full spectrum of services

meets all your needs for multilingual international rollouts

of SAP applications.

� These range from on language strategies,

� through ,

� including UI

translation and the translation of rollout materials,

� long-term project ,

� ,

� provision of ,

� to and .

The Lucy team is made up of seasoned SAP professionals

with up to 25 years of domain experience.

intercultural coachinginterpreting

add-on translation software

development of software solutions

support

end-to-end translation services

training

consulting

Consulting

SoftwareDevelopment

SoftwareSolutions

Training Support

Interpreting

Full-ServiceTranslation

InterculturalCoaching


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Lucy Software and Services GmbHNeidensteiner Str. 2

74915 Waibstadt

Germany

Regional offices:

Munich, Germany & Barcelona, Spain

Web:

E-mail:

Tel. from the USA (toll-free) +1 800-273-3602

Tel.: +49 7263-409-300

Fax.: +49 7263-409-3019

Cell phone: +49 175 2200-683

Lucy at ASUG/SapphireNow OrlandoMay 4-7, 2015

Make a meeting appointment!

[email protected]

www.lucysoftware.com

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