An 8 Year Journey from First Translations to Global Training Translation Strategy
In 2017, a major fast-food chain was on the cusp of global expansion. New markets were opening, franchisees were multiplying, and the brand’s promise of consistency—every burger, every fry, every greeting—had to hold whether the restaurant was in Toronto, Santiago, or Dubai.
But there was a problem. Training, the lifeblood of their operations, didn’t always translate.
The Challenge
The Director of Training and Development still vividly remembers the early days. Her team had invested months into developing crew training programs, only to watch them falter when rolled out across multilingual teams.
“We realized quickly that literal translations weren’t enough,” she said. “A single misplaced word could throw off an entire process in the kitchen or confuse a manager on day one.”
The risks were mounting. Inconsistent tone and misaligned instructions were eroding the effectiveness of training. Franchisees in some regions improvised, creating their own materials that drifted from the brand voice. Speed was another constant challenge: training had to roll out fast to keep up with new launches, but the previous translation approaches couldn’t balance quick turnaround with cultural and linguistic accuracy.
Their Director of Training and Development admitted the stakes plainly: “If our people didn’t get this right, the guest experience would suffer and when you’re in the restaurant business, guest experience is everything.”
The Solution
That’s when the partnership began. What started as a request for crew-level training translations evolved into a global program built on trust, collaboration, and an understanding that translation wasn’t just a service but a strategy.
From day one, our linguists and project managers immersed themselves in the brand’s world. Every menu abbreviation, every crew acronym, every tone of voice used in a training manual mattered. We weren’t simply replacing English with Spanish or French Canadian. We captured the cadence of training, the encouragement in a manager’s handbook, and the brand’s values tucked between the lines.
The client quickly noticed the difference. “You didn’t just translate,” she reflected. “You helped us teach. You helped us keep the spirit of our training alive, even when the words changed.”
To handle the variety of content, we developed a tiered workflow. High-stakes content, such as crew and manager training programs or compliance documents, received complete human translation, multi-step review, and desktop publishing to ensure accuracy and cultural resonance. For fully automated workflows with no human intervention, such as VTAs and menus, were routed through AI-assisted translation through Morningside’s upgraded client platform feature, HUB+, and verified by professional linguists. This balance gave the brand both speed and precision.
Behind the scenes, custom glossaries, translation memory, and dedicated linguist teams built consistency over time. “We never have to remind you of our voice anymore,” The Director said. “It’s like you’re part of our team.”
The Journey
Over the last eight years, that first training project has grown into a partnership that now touches nearly every aspect of the brand’s global communication. What began as translations for crew training has expanded to manager-level programs, internal communications, compliance materials, menus, VTAs, and even live interpretation support.
There were moments of urgency, too. The Director recalls one weekend when a critical training launch was in jeopardy. “It was late on a Saturday night, and I thought, there’s no way we’ll get this done in time. But within hours, your team had mobilized despite the time difference, and the content was live by Monday morning. That saved us—not just in time, but in credibility with our operators.”
These turning points built trust. As the years passed, the partnership matured from transactional to strategic. Instead of simply responding to translation needs, we began planning alongside their internal teams, advising them on workflows and helping them prioritize when to invest in complete human translation versus hybrid approaches.
The Partnership
Today, eight years into our relationship, the brand’s global training and communications run on a foundation of clarity and consistency. Crew members from Montreal to Monterrey receive training that feels local yet unmistakably aligned with the brand. Managers onboard faster, employees stay engaged, and franchisees trust that training does not hinder their operations.
She describes the impact clearly: “You’ve helped us scale our people as much as our restaurants. That’s not something a typical vendor does, that’s what makes you a partner.”
The measurable results are precise: faster training rollouts, improved accuracy in localized content, reduced review cycles, and the ability to scale into new markets without compromising brand identity. However, perhaps the most significant outcome is intangible—the confidence of a global training leader who knows she has a partner who will match her urgency, precision, and ambition.
As the Director said during our most recent call, “We’ve been through so many launches together, and I know you’ll deliver every time. You’ve made translation the least of my worries. And in this business, that peace of mind is priceless.”
About Us
At Morningside, a Questel Company, we believe language is strategy. From urgent global training translation rollouts to global expansion initiatives, we provide translation expertise, cultural insight, and responsiveness that help brands scale confidently.
When training defines your brand and consistency defines your success, we deliver more than words—we provide trust.
Ready to scale with confidence? Contact us or request a quote to get started.