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

Option A – Implementing 4 Core Languages(English, French, Italian and Mandarin) is recommended for its alignment with the principles of simplicity and standardization and cost-effectiveness. By supporting 4 languages, initial translation and maintenance costs/time are lowered, allowing for a quicker deployment and efficient use of resources.

With 92.5% employee language coverage, Option A provides substantial support while remaining within budget constraints, making it a suitable choice for organizations that need effective language coverage without the added complexity and higher costs associated with implementing Option B. To mitigate any risks in critical functions, such as manufacturing and maintenance, Option A includes additional language support(Brazilian Portuguese, German, Spanish and Thai) for these specific areas which will bring the employee language coverage up to 97%.Although this option may offer slightly less comprehensive localization, it effectively balances user accessibility with operational efficiency. This balanced approach ensures substantial language coverage for the majority of employees while managing costs effectively and maintaining operational efficiency.

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

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 
• English language referenced in this paper equals American English and British English
• French language referenced in this paper equals mainland French (spoken in France) and not Canadian French
• In case additional instances are proposed as part of the instance strategy, the instance will have English by default and the subset of the recommended languages which are applicable ex: A separate instance for China will have English and Chinese as languages

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 significant discrepancies, the evaluation needs to be repeated. See the Employee Counts section for the actual employee counts considered

Impacts

Organisational change: Reducing language coverage to 4 core languages means that some employees who previously used the system in other languages will need to be upskilled to use the system in English or the remaining core languages. This transition may involve additional training and support to be planned and conducted by the Business to help these employees adapt to the new language requirements.

Regulatory validation: Regulatory and audit teams will need to review and sign off on the proposed language coverage to ensure that it meets all local legal and regulatory requirements. This validation process ensures that the system remains compliant with relevant regulations and that any language limitations are documented and approved.

Change Management and training: Training material and comms to be translated to the 4 core languages. Training material relevant for production and maintenance to be translated to 8 languages

Data Migration: Data migration team to take into account the language considerations for cleansing

Business Rules

Following are some of the Business Rules determined as part of this document. More rules to be defined during the detailed design

• Employee language is determined based on the default language from success factors HR data
• In case language is missing in the employee profile, default logon language is English
• All master data content must be maintained in English language - This is to carry out the duplication checks 

Options considered

Rational for choosing the below options

The rational for selecting the below options is outlined in the section below: Rational for Options selection

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. 

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

Evaluation

	Option A - Implement 4 core languages	Option B - Implement 8 Core languages
Alignment to Design Principles	Adheres to Simplification and Standardization principle	Additional four languages increase complexity of system design, build and maintenance
Employee Language Coverage	92.5% of the employee's primary language is covered by implementing this option. However, it goes up to 97% as the manufacturing and maintenance transactions are supported in 8 languages	97% of the employees' primary language is covered by implementing this option
Ongoing Language Support Costs - Internal	Medium - Costs are moderate as the system supports 4 core languages, with additional support for a few transactions in the remaining languages. Maintenance and support efforts are relatively lower compared to Option B.	High - Supporting 8 languages increases the complexity and cost of ongoing maintenance and support. This includes higher expenses for managing and updating multiple language packs and ensuring consistent performance across all languages.
Ongoing Language Support Costs – shared service / IT helpdesk	Medium - Comparatively lower costs than Option B as the shared service and IT helpdesk support 4 languages	High - Significant costs are associated with shared services and IT helpdesk support for 8 languages. The helpdesk must handle more complex language-related issues, leading to higher operational costs and resource requirements.
SAP S/4 Hana languages coverage for User Interface	All the languages proposed are available as part of Standard SAP offering	All the languages proposed are available as part of Standard SAP offering
Translation Cost	High - Translation costs are substantial as data, configuration settings, and labels need to be converted into 4 core languages. This includes initial translation and ongoing updates.	Very High - Translation costs are significantly higher with 8 languages, covering extensive data, configuration settings, and labels. The increased number of languages leads to higher initial translation expenses and ongoing costs for updates and maintenance.

Rational for Options selection

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

See also

Change log

Workflow history