Writing for Global Audiences: Internationalization in Product Content

As products scale into international markets, documentation often struggles to keep up.

A poorly internationalized doc set can lead to inconsistent translations, cultural misunderstandings, product launch delays, and frustrated users.

In fact, a CSA Research survey found that 76% of customers prefer purchasing from websites that offer product information in their own language.

Documentation that isn’t prepared for localization risks alienating the very audiences you want to reach.

That’s why building internationalization into your content strategy is no longer optional, it’s a business-critical step.

In this live session, Ben Collins, Senior Product Writer at SmartRecruiters, will share practical strategies for making your product documentation internationalization-ready.

From writing techniques and structural best practices to working effectively with localization teams, Ben will break down what it takes to deliver content that works everywhere.

This isn’t just about translation. It’s about designing your content for scale, cultural neutrality, and clarity, so localization becomes smoother, faster, and more cost-effective.

What You’ll Learn

• Why documentation often breaks during localization, common pitfalls and how to avoid them
• The difference between internationalization and localization in technical docs
• How to write clear, culturally neutral, and translation-friendly content that reduces ambiguity for translators
• How AI is reshaping localization — and why your source content quality matters more than ever
• Actionable tips to improve your documentation’s global readiness today

About the Speaker

Ben Collins is a seasoned product writer who leads the end-to-end content lifecycle at SmartRecruiters, from in-app copy and help articles to integrated guidance. With prior experience at Pegasystems, he’s collaborated with engineers, designers, and product teams to simplify complex software through clear, user-focused writing. His work has supported key innovations at SmartRecruiters, including the rollout of Winston, the AI-powered recruiting assistant featured in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant.