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Help Scout Docs One Docs site, every language

Translate your Help Scout Docs knowledge base

SiteTran makes your Help Scout Docs site multilingual from one snippet in Custom Code. Customers read every article, category and search suggestion in their own language, and when you edit an article, only the sentences you changed need translating.

Translate my Docs site free See how updates work
  • Free plan, no card needed
  • No Docs site per language
  • AI + human review
187+languages, including right-to-left
1Docs site for every language
0articles to copy into another site
$0to start on the Free plan

Driving growth for companies with millions of users

Alignment Neil Patel Exomonitor Cyfe Instructified
How it works

Add SiteTran to Help Scout Docs in three steps

Help Scout loads anything in a Docs site's Insert <head> Code field on every page of that site, including articles you publish later. That's the only place SiteTran needs to go.

1

Create your SiteTran site

Sign up free, add your Docs site's address, such as help.yourcompany.com or yourcompany.helpscoutdocs.com, and pick your languages. Then copy your Widget Code.

2

Paste it into Custom Code

In Help Scout, open your Docs site's Custom Code page and paste the Widget Code at the end of Insert <head> Code. Click Save.

Settings (gear)›Docs Sites›Your site›Custom Code
3

Translate and publish

Open your Docs site and pick a language. SiteTran discovers your articles as they're viewed, then you translate them with AI, your own team, or both, and publish.

What the Widget Code looks like
<script>var sitetran = {site_id: your_site_id};</script>
<script src="//c.sitetran.com/widget/v3.js"></script>
<div id="sitetran_translate_element"></div>

SiteTran gives you your own ready-to-paste code, with your site ID already in it. The div is where the language dropdown is created.

Custom Code

https://…/parcelly-docs.css
Choose File
<!-- analytics -->
<script>var sitetran = {site_id: 12345};</script>
<script src="//c.sitetran.com/widget/v3.js"></script>
<div id="sitetran_translate_element"></div>
Loads on every page of this Docs siteSave

Where the language dropdown shows up

Code in Insert <head> Code sits above your Docs header, so the dropdown starts out at the very top of the page. Paste SiteTran last in the field, after any analytics code. Then, in SiteTran's Dropdown Style page, set Positioning to Fixed on window and pick a corner.

Beacon's button sits in the bottom right corner by default, so a top corner or the bottom left keeps the two from overlapping.

Built for Help Scout Docs

What happens to each part of your Docs site

Help Scout Docs builds some of its page after it loads, such as search suggestions and the thank-you message after a rating. SiteTran keeps watching the page, so that text is translated when it appears.

Translated

Articles, collections and categories

Article text, headings, numbered steps, tables, image alt text, the collection menu and the Categories sidebar are translated, along with the home page's category and popular-article lists.

Translated

Search box and suggestions

The placeholder, instant suggestions, results page and "No results found" are translated as they appear, so the whole search experience reads in the visitor's language.

Translated, ratings stay together

"Did this answer your question?"

The rating prompt and the thanks message are translated. Because every language reads the same article, its ratings and views stay on one article in Help Scout instead of being split across copies.

Uses Help Scout's language settings

Beacon and AI Answers

Like every website translation tool, Beacon's panel is handled by Help Scout in its own frame. Choose Beacon's default language and labels in Help Scout, where AI Answers can reply in 50+ languages.

Your choice

Code samples and UI names

Keep API examples and keyboard shortcuts as they are by ignoring pre, code and kbd. Put your product's button and menu names in the Glossary so articles match the interface customers see.

Unchanged

Your articles in Help Scout

SiteTran only changes the text visitors see. Articles, collections, redirects and settings in Help Scout stay as they are, and your team keeps writing in the Docs editor as usual.

Article updates

Edit an article once. Only the change needs translating.

Help articles change every time your product does. With a Docs site per language, every edit has to be repeated in every site. With SiteTran, there is one article, and translation works sentence by sentence.

  1. You edit the article in Help Scout

    Rename a button, add a step, fix a screenshot caption. Publish as usual. There's no other site to update.

  2. SiteTran picks up the new text

    When the article is next viewed in another language, the changed sentence is discovered as a new phrase. Sentences you didn't touch keep their approved translations.

  3. It's translated right away, or reviewed first

    With Machine Translation Auto Translate on, the new sentence is translated into every language. Similar Phrases shows reviewers the earlier version's translation, so they only adjust what changed.

  4. Visitors never see a half-empty page

    Until a new sentence has a published translation, it shows in your original language. Everything else on the page stays translated.

A Docs site per language

Every article, times every language

Help Scout's own approach is a separate Docs site for each language, with articles copied over and translated, by hand or with AI Assist. A knowledge base of 150 articles in four languages is 600 articles to keep current, and extra Docs sites beyond your plan's allowance cost $20 a month each, billed annually.

600 articles to maintain
SiteTran

One article, every language

The same 150 articles serve all four languages from one Docs site. Your team writes in one place, translators see exactly which sentences are new, and customers in every language read the current version of each article.

150 articles to maintain
Compare your options

Every way to make Help Scout Docs multilingual

Help Scout's own guide lists three paths: a separate Docs site per language, a translation management system that syncs articles, or a script that translates the Docs site you already have. Here's what each involves.

Docs site per languageHelp Scout's built-in approach Article sync to a TMSFor example, Crowdin Other translation scriptsFor example, Weglot or Transifex Live SiteTranOne Widget Code in Custom Code
How it works You copy each article to another Docs site and translate it, by hand or with AI Assist. The Translate tab covers each site's built-in labels. Articles are imported into the TMS, translated there, and sent back to Help Scout. A snippet in Custom Code translates your Docs pages and adds a language switcher. SiteTran translates your Docs pages as they render and adds a language dropdown.
Help Scout cost One Docs site per language. Plans include 1 to 5 sites; extra sites are $20/month, billed annually. Depends on how translated articles are published. One Docs site. One Docs site.
When an article changes Repeat the edit in every language site. Changes come over on the next sync. Crowdin's sync can be manual or scheduled. New text is usually picked up when the page is visited. Only the changed sentences are new. Machine Translation Auto Translate can translate them right away.
Search Each site searches its own language. Depends on where translated articles live. Search interface translated. Search box, instant suggestions and results page translated as they appear.
Pricing model Included in Help Scout, plus your translators' time. A TMS subscription, plus translators. Often capped by words and languages. Weglot's Starter plan includes 10,000 words and 1 language. Unlimited languages on every plan. Free up to 7K words.
Team workflow Help Scout users with Docs permissions. Full TMS workflow with translation memory. Varies by tool and plan. Translators and reviewers per language, approval, Glossary, Translation Rules and Similar Phrases, with unlimited teammates.

Help Scout details are from Help Scout's help center and pricing page; Crowdin and Weglot details are from their own pages, checked October 20, 2026. A separate site per language is a good fit if you want fully separate, natively searchable sites and have the time to keep them in step.

Translation quality

Help articles that match the product your customers see

A help article is only useful if its steps match the buttons on screen. Start with machine translation, then let people who know your product check what matters.

  • Machine translation from DeepL, Google and OpenAI

    Get suggestions for any phrase, or translate new phrases automatically. You choose whether they're approved automatically or reviewed first.

  • Glossary for your interface terms

    If your app's Spanish version says "Gestionar plan", add it to the Glossary so every article uses the same words as the screen.

  • Your support team as reviewers

    Invite the agents who answer tickets in each language as translators or reviewers. Turn on AI Translation Review for a second opinion on everything else.

  • Translation Rules for tone

    Tell AI translation to use formal or informal address, keep sentences short, or leave certain terms alone. Similar Phrases reuses earlier translations of near-identical steps.

Translate your knowledge base into 187+ languages

SpanishFrenchGermanPortuguese (Brazil)ItalianDutchJapaneseChinese (Simplified)KoreanArabicHebrewHindiTurkishPolishSwedishVietnamese+ 170 more
SEO for help centers

Multilingual SEO for your Help Scout Docs site

Here's what SiteTran translates for search engines and link previews as soon as you install it, and how to give each language its own indexable address when you're ready.

Included as soon as you install

Everything search and link previews read

When a visitor switches language, the article's title and meta description switch with it, so shared links and bookmarks read correctly.

  • Page title and meta description
  • Twitter card tags for link previews
  • Image alt text, tooltips, placeholders and ARIA labels
  • The page's lang attribute, set to the selected language
Advanced setup

Language URLs for Google

By default, every language uses your existing Docs URL and the visitor's choice is remembered. For a separate, indexable page per language, SiteTran's Static Translation API returns translated HTML for an address you serve it from:

help.yourcompany.comHelp Scout, original
es.help.yourcompany.comSubdomain + proxy

A language subdomain points at a small proxy or edge worker that calls the API, while your original Docs site stays exactly as it is. We'll help you plan it.

Talk to us about Docs SEO

Want the general walkthrough with screenshots?

Custom SiteTran Integration covers creating your site, copying your Widget Code and testing your first language. On Help Scout, paste the code in Insert <head> Code as shown above.

Read the guide
Troubleshooting

Help Scout Docs translation not working? Check these first

Most setup problems come down to which Docs site has the code, where the dropdown ended up, or labels that were already changed in Help Scout.

1The language dropdown doesn't appear

  1. If you have more than one Docs site, check that the code is in the Custom Code page of the site you're viewing.
  2. Make sure all three lines of the Widget Code are there, including the div, and that you clicked Save.
  3. Look at the very top of the page, or set Positioning to Fixed on window in Dropdown Style.
  4. In SiteTran, make sure the language is both Active and Live. If Hide All Widgets On Site (dev mode) is on, add ?sitetran=on to your URL.
My Language Isn’t Showing Up in the Language Dropdown →

2Some labels show up as the wrong language

  1. If you translated your Docs labels in Help Scout's Translate tab, SiteTran sees those words as your original text.
  2. Set the Translate tab's labels back to your source language, then let SiteTran translate them for each visitor.
  3. Beacon is set separately in Help Scout, so its labels follow Beacon's own language setting.

3An edited article is partly in the original language

  1. New and changed sentences are discovered when the article is viewed in another language. Open it once in a translated language.
  2. A translation appears only after it's approved and published. To translate new text automatically, turn on Machine Translation Auto Translate.
  3. Search suggestions are discovered the same way, as they appear.
Translating Dynamic Content →

4My changes aren't showing yet

  1. After you approve and publish, translation data can take up to 30 seconds to update.
  2. A visitor's browser can keep translation data cached for up to 10 minutes.
  3. Try a hard refresh or a private window.
My New Translations or Changes Aren’t Appearing on my Website →

5Code samples or product names were translated

  1. Add ignore_selectors: ['pre', 'code', 'kbd'] inside the var sitetran = {…} line of your Widget Code.
  2. In an article's HTML block, add the notranslate class to anything that must stay as written.
  3. Add product, plan and button names to the Glossary with the translation you want, often the name itself.
Skip HTML from Being Translated or Discovered →

6Every "Updated on" date is a separate phrase

  1. Each article shows its own "Updated on" date, so each date can be discovered as its own phrase.
  2. Use a variable for the date so one translation of "Updated on" covers every article.
  3. Use variables the same way for order numbers, prices or names inside a sentence.
Adding Variables to Phrases →
Pricing

Simple pricing that grows with your knowledge base

Every plan includes unlimited languages and teammates, so adding a fourth or fifth language never means a bigger plan, and invited reviewers don't need Help Scout seats. Start free and upgrade when your help center grows.

Free

$0

For small sites and testing

  • 7K words in site
  • 3K translated pageviews / month
  • 7K machine translations

Starter

$3/mo

For sites with moderate translation needs

  • 30K words in site
  • 15K translated pageviews / month
  • 30K machine translations
Growing sites

Pro

$35/mo

For larger sites or several smaller ones

  • 90K words in site
  • 45K translated pageviews / month
  • 90K machine translations

Business

$75/mo

For large-scale international sites

  • 250K words in site
  • 125K translated pageviews / month
  • 250K machine translations
Annual billing: 2 months free · Enterprise plans for 1M+ words See all features
FAQ

Help Scout Docs translation questions

Can't find your answer? Our team is happy to help you plan your multilingual help center.

Email support
How do I add SiteTran to my Help Scout Docs site?
Create a free SiteTran site for your Docs address and copy your Widget Code. In Help Scout, go to Settings (gear icon), then Docs Sites, choose your site and click Custom Code in the sidebar. Paste the code at the end of the Insert <head> Code field and click Save. Open your Docs site and pick a language from the dropdown.
Which Help Scout plan do I need?
Docs is part of every Help Scout plan, and SiteTran only needs one Docs site, so you do not need a bigger plan for more languages. Help Scout's Free plan is limited to 1 Docs site and 10 articles. To use the Custom Code page, your Help Scout user needs the Docs: Create new, edit settings and collections permission.
Do I still need a separate Docs site for each language?
No. With SiteTran, one Docs site serves every language. Visitors pick a language from the dropdown, or are switched to their browser language automatically, and see the same articles translated. You write and edit each article once, in Help Scout.
What happens to translations when I edit an article?
Only the text you changed needs translating. Sentences you did not touch keep their approved translations. When someone views the updated article in another language, SiteTran discovers the new text, and Machine Translation Auto Translate can translate it right away. Until a new sentence has a published translation, visitors see it in your original language.
Does the Docs search work in other languages?
Yes. The search box, its placeholder, the instant suggestions and the results page are all translated as they appear. Searches for product and feature names, which usually stay the same in every language, work especially well, because Help Scout matches queries against the articles you write in your source language.
Will SiteTran translate Help Scout Beacon?
Beacon uses Help Scout's own language settings. Like every website translation tool, SiteTran translates your Docs pages, while Beacon's panel is handled by Help Scout in its own frame. Set Beacon's default language and labels in Help Scout. Help Scout says AI Answers can respond in 50+ languages, and its Automatic Translations feature on the Pro plan translates Beacon chat conversations.
Should I use Help Scout's Translate tab as well?
Not for the same Docs site. The Translate tab replaces your site's built-in labels with one other version, such as Spanish, for every visitor. With SiteTran, keep those labels in your source language and SiteTran translates them, along with your articles, into each language a visitor picks.
Can I keep code samples and product names untranslated?
Yes. Add product and feature names to the Glossary with the translation you want, often the name itself. To skip code samples and keyboard shortcuts, add ignore_selectors: ['pre', 'code', 'kbd'] to the sitetran settings in your Widget Code, or add the notranslate class to an element in an article's HTML block.
Do translated articles get their own URLs for SEO?
By default, every language is served from your existing Docs URL with translated titles and meta descriptions, and the visitor's choice is remembered. For indexable language URLs, SiteTran's Static Translation API can serve translated HTML on a language subdomain, such as es.help.example.com, through a proxy you point it at. Book a call and we will help you plan it.
Does SiteTran change my articles in Help Scout?
No. SiteTran only changes the text displayed in the visitor's browser. Your articles, collections, categories and settings in Help Scout stay as they are, and article ratings and views stay on one article instead of being split across copies.
Can I use machine translation and still review it?
Yes. You can get machine translation suggestions from DeepL, Google Translate or OpenAI, automatically translate new phrases, and decide whether those translations are approved automatically or reviewed first. You can also invite human translators and reviewers for each language and use AI Translation Review.
Will visitors see their own language automatically?
Yes, by default. SiteTran detects the visitor's browser language and switches to it when that language is available on your site. The choice is saved in a cookie for future visits, and visitors can change language at any time from the language dropdown.
Can I test translations before customers see them?
Yes. A language stays hidden from visitors until you set it to Live. You can also turn on Hide All Widgets On Site (dev mode) under Settings, then Publishing, and add ?sitetran=on to your Docs URL to preview the language dropdown yourself.
Is there a free plan?
Yes. The Free plan includes 7,000 words in your site, 3,000 translated pageviews per month and 7,000 machine translations, with unlimited languages and teammates. Paid plans raise those limits and start at $3 per month. Compare plans.
What happens if I go over my plan's limits?
You will be prompted to upgrade or buy additional credits. Your existing translations remain intact, and new translations are paused until you upgrade.
See all 29 integrations →

Answer customers in their language before they open a ticket

Add one snippet to your Docs site's Custom Code, pick your languages, and keep one knowledge base that every customer can read. Start on the Free plan and upgrade only when you grow.

Start translating free Book a call Free plan · Unlimited languages and teammates