| Status | Approved |
| Owner | |
| Stakeholders |
Issue
The number of system languages implemented in a SAP system significantly adds to the complexity of the initial system design, implementation, testing and continued maintenance with respect to master data, system configuration, development (reports, forms, system interfaces, etc.), process documentation, employee user interface, shared service functions and IT support.
There are currently 21 languages logon languages implemented in Syensqo. As a part of the ERP rebuild project there is an opportunity to simplify and standardize the language implementation.
Recommendation
Background & Context
Implementing multiple system languages in an SAP environment introduces substantial complexity across various stages of the system lifecycle. Here’s a detailed breakdown:
System Design and Implementation: Incorporating multiple languages into an SAP system involves complex initial design and setup, including installing and configuring language packs and adapting custom developments to support various languages.
Testing and Quality Assurance: Extensive testing is required across all supported languages to ensure functionality, data accuracy, and user interface consistency, which adds to the overall complexity and effort.
Master Data and Configuration: Managing master data and system configurations in multiple languages requires careful translation and consistency, impacting data integrity and the configuration process.
Development and Documentation: Custom reports, forms, and system interfaces need to be multilingual, and process documentation and training materials must be translated and maintained in all supported languages.
Ongoing Support and Maintenance: Multilingual support impacts IT and shared services functions, requiring additional resources for support and regular updates in all supported languages.
Syensqo currently has around 23 languages installed, 21 logon languages and 2 languages without logon capability. Following are all the languages implemented in the As-Is system
| Language Key | Language Description | Language Key | Language Description | |
| AR | Arabic | IT | Italian | |
| BG | Bulgarian | JA | Japanese | |
| CS | Czech | KO | Korean | |
| DE | German | NL | Dutch | |
| EL | Greek | PL | Polish | |
| EN | English | PT | Portuguese | |
| ES | Spanish | RU | Russian | |
| FI | Finnish | SK | Slovak | |
| FR | French | TH | Thai | |
| Z8 | US English | TR | Turkish | |
| Z9 | Brazilian Portug | ZF | Chinese trad. | |
| ZH | Chinese |
Assumptions
- The Language assignment per each country in the section Employee Counts
- The SAAS systems will support the recommended languages
- Any additional language requirements for Sucess Factors will be incorporated as part of the Sucess Factors project
Constraints
The employee counts are provided by Business based on the employee count in SF. The evaluation is done based on these employee counts and if there are any discrepancies, the evaluation needs to be repeated. See the Employee Counts section for the actual employee counts considered
Impacts
Business Rules
Options considered
Following are the options considered for language implementation
Option A: Implement 4 Core Languages (English, French, Italian and Mandarin)
As part of this option, 4 core languages English, French, Italian and Mandarin are implemented. Additional languages Brazilian Portuguese, German, Spanish and Thai are implemented only for Manufacturing and Maintenance operations.
This gives about a coverage of 92.5% of employees (97.15% with additional languages). This option also covers 66 / 67 manufacturing plants across the globe.
| Object | Sub-Object | Language Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Screens / User Interface | SAP Standard Screens | SAP standard screen will be available in all 8 languages (English, French, Italian and Mandarin, |
| Custom Screen | Production / Maintenance related: Available in 8 languages Rest: 4 core languages | |
| Output Forms | Labels | Default: English Manufacturing and Maintenance related labels: All 8 languages Rest of the labels: 4 core languages To be translated to additional languages based on the legal and regulatory requirements (More than the 8 languages mentioned in the option) |
| Form Content | As maintained in the system (See the rules below) | |
| Reports | Management Reports labels | English |
| Operational report labels - Manufacturing and Maintenance | All 8 languages | |
| Operational report labels - Rest | 4 core languages | |
| Legal and Regulatory reports - labels | In the language based on the legal and regulatry requirement | |
| Data | As maintained in the system (See the rules below) | |
| Config Values | All config values | Default: English mandatory Manufacturing and Maintenance related config: All 8 languages Rest of the config: 4 core languages To be translated to additional languages based on the legal and regulatory requirements Note: for some of the config it is required to logon to the language that the config needs to be maintained and maintain the config |
| Master Data Content | All | Default: English mandatory Manufacturing and Maintenance related data: All 8 languages (based on the plant or country) Content required for regional operations, country specific regulatory requirements on output Forms, Reports and Interfaces to be maintained in additional languages (More than 8 languages mentioned in this option) |
| Training Material / Communications | All | Manufacturing and Maintenance: All 8 languages Other training material: 4 core languages |
Option B: Implement 8 Core Languages (English, French, Italian, Mandarin, Brazilian Portuguese, German, Spanish, Thai)
As a part of this option 8 core languages are implemented. This gives about a coverage of 97.15% of employees and covers 66/67 manufacturing plants
| Object | Sub-Object | Language Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Screens / User Interface | SAP Standard Screens | SAP standard screen will be available in all 8 languages (English, French, Italian and Mandarin, |
| Custom Screen | Available in 8 languages | |
| Output Forms | Labels | Default: English All form labels: 8 core languages To be translated to additional languages based on the legal and regulatory requirements |
| Form Content | As maintained in the system (See the rules below) | |
| Reports | Management Reports labels | English |
| Operational report labels | All 8 languages | |
| Legal and Regulatory reports - labels | In the language based on the legal and regulatory requirement (Can be outside the 8 languages) | |
| Data | As maintained in the system (See the rules below) | |
| Config Values | All config values | Default: English mandatory Config: 8 core languages To be translated to additional languages based on the legal and regulatory requirements Note: for some of the config it is required to logon to the language that the config needs to be maintained and maintain the config |
| Master Data Content | All | Default: English mandatory All data: All 8 languages (based on the plant or country where the master data is created/extended) Content required for regional operations, country specific regulatory requirements on output Forms, Reports and Interfaces to be maintained in additional languages (More than 8 languages mentioned in this option) |
| Training Material / Communications | All | All 8 languages |
Evaluation
Option A - Implement 4 core languages | Option B - Implement 8 Core languages | |
|---|---|---|
| Alignment to Design Principles |
|
|
| Employee Language Coverage |
|  97% |
Ongoing Language Support Costs - Internal | High. |  |
Ongoing Language Support Costs – shared service / IT helpdesk | | |
Cost of resource base | ||
SAP S/4 Hana languages coverage for User Interface | ||
Data Translation Cost |
Evaluation to determine the language options
A detailed evaluation is done based on the following parameters to identify the language options that are considered in the document
- Employee count (Including the contingent workers)
- Manufacturing plants and Distribution centers
- Revenue
- Official Languages
- Regulatory requirements
A detailed table of the actual analysis can be found below
| Country | Country Code | Employee Count per country | Employee coverage per country | Number of Company Codes | Number of Manufacturing Plants | Number of Distribution Centers | Significant Revenue Generators | Aggregate employee per Primary Language | Aggregate Employee coverage per Primary Language | Official Languages (Main) | Official Languages (Others) | Regulatory | Option 1 Inclusion Criteria 1 (Manufacturing plants with aggregate employee coverage > 5%) Exclusion Criteria - If not significant revenue generators exclude | Option 2 Inclusion Criteria 1 (All Manufacturing Plants) |
| Argentina | AR | 9 | 0.05 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Yes | 230 | 1.37 | Spanish | Yes, Spanish is commonly required. | |||
| Australia | AU | 24 | 0.14 | 2 | 0 | 4 | No | 9173 | 54.41 | English | No strict legal requirement; English is used. | |||
| Austria | AT | 1 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | 0 | No | 260 | 1.55 | German | Not Applicable | |||
| Belgium | BE | 496 | 2.94 | 6 | 2 | 3 | Yes | 3421 | 20.29 | French | Dutch, German | Mixed; Dutch, French, and German support may be required depending on the region. | Yes | Yes |
| Brazil | BR | 224 | 1.33 | 2 | 2 | 3 | No | 224 | 1.33 | Brazilian Portuguese | Yes, Brazilian Portuguese is required. | Yes | ||
| Canada | CA | 197 | 1.17 | 1 | 1 | 2 | No | 9173 | 54.41 | English | French | Mixed; English and French support is needed, especially in Quebec. | Yes | Yes |
| Chile | CL | 30 | 0.18 | 1 | 0 | 1 | No | 230 | 1.37 | Spanish | Yes, Spanish is commonly required. | |||
| China | CN | 1810 | 10.74 | 10 | 6 | 13 | Yes | 1829 | 10.85 | Mandarin Chinese (Standard Chinese) | Yes, Mandarin Chinese is required. | Yes | Yes | |
| Colombia | CO | 11 | 0.07 | 0 | 0 | 0 | No | 230 | 1.37 | Spanish | Not Applicable | |||
| Croatia | HR | 2 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | 0 | No | 2 | 0.01 | Croatian | Not Applicable | |||
| Czech Republic | CZ | 7 | 0.04 | 0 | 0 | 0 | No | 7 | 0.04 | Czech | Not Applicable | |||
| Democratic Republic of Congo | CD | 4 | 0.02 | 0 | 0 | 0 | No | 3421 | 20.29 | French | (Lingala, Kikongo, Swahili, Tshiluba are national languages) | Not Applicable | ||
| France | FR | 2913 | 17.28 | 9 | 9 | 6 | Yes | 3421 | 20.29 | French | Yes, French is typically required. | Yes | Yes | |
| Germany | DE | 254 | 1.51 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Yes | 260 | 1.55 | German | Yes, German is required for compliance and practical business use. | Yes | ||
| Hong Kong | HK | 2 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | 0 | No | 2 | 0.01 | Chinese (Cantonese) | English | Not Applicable | ||
| India | IN | 3394 | 20.13 | 2 | 3 | 1 | Yes | 9173 | 54.41 | English | Hindi, English (21 other recognized languages at the state level) | No strict requirement; English is widely used, but regional languages may be supported depending on user needs. | Yes | Yes |
| Indonesia | ID | 7 | 0.04 | 1 | 0 | 2 | No | 7 | 0.04 | Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) | No strict requirement; Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) is useful. | |||
| Italy | IT | 1160 | 6.88 | 4 | 3 | 1 | Yes | 1160 | 6.88 | Italian | Yes, Italian is commonly required. | Yes | Yes | |
| Jamaica | JM | 2 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | 0 | No | 9173 | 54.41 | English | Not Applicable | |||
| Japan | JP | 80 | 0.47 | 3 | 0 | 72 | Yes | 80 | 0.47 | Japanese | Yes, Japanese is required. | |||
| Kazakhstan | KZ | 2 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | 1 | No | 2 | 0.01 | Kazakh, Russian | Yes, Russian is commonly required | |||
| Luxembourg | LU | 8 | 0.05 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Yes | 3421 | 20.29 | French | Luxembourgish,German | Mixed; Luxembourgish, French, and German support may be required. | ||
| Malaysia | MY | 6 | 0.04 | 0 | 0 | 0 | No | 6 | 0.04 | Malay (Bahasa Malaysia) | Not Applicable | |||
| Mexico | MX | 170 | 1.01 | 1 | 1 | 7 | No | 230 | 1.37 | Spanish | (68 national languages including various indigenous languages) | Yes, Spanish is commonly required. | Yes | |
| Mongolia | MN | 1 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | 0 | No | 1 | 0.01 | Mongolian | Not Applicable | |||
| Morocco | MA | 1 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | 0 | No | 5 | 0.03 | Arabic | Berber (Amazigh) | Not Applicable | ||
| Netherlands | NL | 74 | 0.44 | 2 | 1 | 1 | No | 9173 | 54.41 | English | Dutch | No strict requirement; Dutch is beneficial. | Yes | |
| New Zealand | NZ | 5 | 0.03 | 1 | 1 | 1 | No | 9173 | 54.41 | English | Māori, New Zealand Sign Language | No strict requirement; English is used. | Yes | Yes |
| Panama | PA | 1 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | 0 | No | 230 | 1.37 | Spanish | Not Applicable | |||
| Peru | PE | 7 | 0.04 | 1 | 0 | 0 | No | 230 | 1.37 | Spanish | Quechua, Aymara (and other indigenous languages) | Yes, Spanish and Quechua support may be useful. | ||
| Philippines | PH | 1 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | 0 | No | 9173 | 54.41 | English | Filipino (based on Tagalog) | Not Applicable | ||
| Portugal | PT | 169 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | No | 169 | 1 | Portuguese | Yes, Portuguese is required. | |||
| Romania | RO | 6 | 0.04 | 0 | 0 | 0 | No | 6 | 0.04 | Romanian | Not Applicable | |||
| Serbia | RS | 1 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | 0 | No | 1 | 0.01 | Serbian | Not Applicable | |||
| Singapore | SG | 71 | 0.42 | 3 | 0 | 3 | No | 9173 | 54.41 | English | Malay, Mandarin, Tamil | Mixed; English, Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil support may be required. | ||
| South Africa | ZA | 4 | 0.02 | 0 | 0 | 0 | No | 9173 | 54.41 | English | 11 official languages including Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga | Not Applicable | ||
| Switzerland | CH | 5 | 0.03 | 1 | 0 | 0 | No | 260 | 1.55 | German | French, Italian, Romansh | Mixed; German, French, Italian, and Romansh support may be needed depending on the region. | ||
| Taiwan | TW | 19 | 0.11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | No | 1829 | 10.85 | Mandarin Chinese (Standard Chinese) | Yes, Mandarin Chinese is required. | |||
| Thailand | TH | 80 | 0.47 | 2 | 2 | 1 | No | 80 | 0.47 | Thai | Yes, Thai is commonly required. | Yes | ||
| Türkiye (Turkey) | TR | 13 | 0.08 | 0 | 0 | 1 | No | 13 | 0.08 | Turkish | Not Applicable | |||
| Ukraine | UA | 1 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | 0 | No | 1 | 0.01 | Ukrainian | Not Applicable | |||
| United Arab Emirates | AE | 4 | 0.02 | 2 | 0 | 2 | No | 5 | 0.03 | Arabic | Yes, Arabic is typically required. | |||
| United States of America | US | 4822 | 28.6 | 19 | 31 | 71 | Yes | 9173 | 54.41 | English | No strict requirement; English is used. | Yes | Yes | |
| Uruguay | UY | 2 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | 0 | No | 230 | 1.37 | Spanish | Not Applicable | |||
| Zambia | ZM | 3 | 0.02 | 0 | 0 | 0 | No | 9173 | 54.41 | English | Not Applicable | |||
| Great Britan | GB | 650 | 3.86 | 9 | 4 | 9 | No | 9173 | 54.41 | English | No strict requirement; English is used. | Yes | Yes | |
| South Korea | KR | 106 | 0.63 | 2 | 0 | 1 | Yes | 106 | 0.63 | Korean | Yes, Korean is required. |
See also
Change log
Workflow history
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