User Interface Translation

🌎 Designing Cross-Cultural And Multi-Lingual UX. Guidelines on how to stress test our designs, how to define a localization strategy and how to deal with currencies, dates, word order, pluralization, colors and gender pronouns. ⦿ Translation: “We adapt our message to resonate in other markets”. ⦿ Localization: “We adapt user experience to local expectations”. ⦿ Internationalization: “We adapt our codebase to work in other markets”. ✅ English-language users make up about 26% of users. ✅ Top written languages: Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese. ✅ Most users prefer content in their native language(s). ✅ French texts are on average 20% longer than English ones. ✅ Japanese texts are on average 30–60% shorter. 🚫 Flags aren’t languages: avoid them for language selection. 🚫 Language direction ≠ design direction (“F” vs. Zig-Zag pattern). 🚫 Not everybody has first/middle names: “Full name” is better. ✅ Always reserve at least 30% room for longer translations. ✅ Stress test your UI for translation with pseudolocalization. ✅ Plan for line wrap, truncation, very short and very long labels. ✅ Adjust numbers, dates, times, formats, units, addresses. ✅ Adjust currency, spelling, input masks, placeholders. ✅ Always conduct UX research with local users. When localizing an interface, we need to work beyond translation. We need to be respectful of cultural differences. E.g. in Arabic we would often need to increase the spacing between lines. For Chinese market, we need to increase the density of information. German sites require a vast amount of detail to communicate that a topic is well-thought-out. Stress test your design. Avoid assumptions. Work with local content designers. Spend time in the country to better understand the market. Have local help on the ground. And test repeatedly with local users as an ongoing part of the design process. You’ll be surprised by some findings, but you’ll also learn to adapt and scale to be effective — whatever market is going to come up next. Useful resources: UX Design Across Different Cultures, by Jenny Shen https://lnkd.in/eNiyVqiH UX Localization Handbook, by Phrase https://lnkd.in/eKN7usSA A Complete Guide To UX Localization, by Michal Kessel Shitrit 🎗️ https://lnkd.in/eaQJt-bU Designing Multi-Lingual UX, by yours truly https://lnkd.in/eR3GnwXQ Flags Are Not Languages, by James Offer https://lnkd.in/eaySNFGa IBM Globalization Checklists https://lnkd.in/ewNzysqv Books: ⦿ Cross-Cultural Design (https://lnkd.in/e8KswErf) by Senongo Akpem ⦿ The Culture Map (https://lnkd.in/edfyMqhN) by Erin Meyer ⦿ UX Writing & Microcopy (https://lnkd.in/e_ZFu374) by Kinneret Yifrah

Most localization workflows are broken. Why are we still managing localization like it’s 2009? Developers get buried in translation files. Translators get screenshots in Slack. PMs send Excel sheets and hope for the best. The problem is that most i18n setups were never designed for fast-moving teams. I don't know about you, but I don't want another spreadsheet called “FINAL_FINAL_TRANSLATIONS_v3.xlsx”. It felt like shipping code with one hand tied behind our backs. I came across Tolgee, an open-source tool that completely changes how localization works. Instead of writing JSON files by hand or juggling outdated strings, you can translate the text right there, by clicking on it in the app or in the browser. You can check the repo here 👉 https://tolg.ee/anvzeh Some things I found compelling: • In-context translation directly in the UI • Chrome + Figma integrations for non-dev contributors • SDKs for React, Vue, Angular, Svelte, and mobile • Machine translation + translation memory baked in • Works locally, in the cloud, or self-hosted • Tolgee AI Translator: gives better translations by using screenshots and real context. It’s the first time I’ve seen localization feel like a real-time, collaborative part of the dev loop, not a separate phase that slows everything down. Curious, how do you handle localization today?

Working at Urban Company as a apart of team that worked on its Saudi Arabian foray, taught me one big thing - VERNACULAR UX was never about translation. We hired agencies, translated the entire app into Arabic, and revised the UI and UX to align with the left-to-right text flow. - But, when the final product was rolled out, the people on the ground came back with terrible feedback - Because our translated text on the app came out as weird in so many pages and places Finally, we brought in our local team members from Saudi Arabia to help us retranslate the entire app, including every button and view. That’s how we finally got the local lingos, layman terminologies and more, right. This experience taught me valuable lessons. But, as a VC, I still get to see so many of founders who have simply launched apps with Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, thinking they’ve ticked the box. They have the language files ready, the toggle in place. But go by the experience of countless startups that India has seen in the past decade - It never worked! They saw that the users didn’t stay. They hesitated and switched back to English. And this was not because it was easier, but because the local version felt off - The tone too stiff. The phrases too textbook. The experience too alien, even in their mother tongue. Because, like in Saudi Arabia, in India, language isn’t neutral - it’s charged. With emotion, memory, and unspoken cues. And it changes every few tens of kilometres. A single word can carry warmth or make someone feel dismissed. A polite phrase in one state might sound robotic in another. And the difference between “Type here” and “Yahan likho” isn’t UI - it’s intimacy. The founders who get this don’t treat localisation as a backend task. They go to homes, kirana stores, bus stands. They listen to how people actually speak - how they ask for help, how they explain money, how they describe problems. And then they bring that into every screen. Not just correct grammar - but cultural rhythm. Not just matching terms - but matching tone. That’s when usage changes. Not gradually - but suddenly. Because when someone sees a product speak like them, not to them, belief kicks in. And in India - a country where belief is hard-won - that shift is everything. It’s what makes someone trust you with their time, data & money. So if you’re building for India, don’t just aim to be understood. Aim to make your user feel seen. Of course, I can be wrong. But, basis my experience, this is how it plays out. Would love to learn if someone disagrees, and why. Best, Shiv

A great article on localization by UX Planet. It offers valuable insights into the complexities and nuances of adapting products for global audiences. The emphasis on going beyond mere translation and truly understanding cultural contexts is crucial for successful localization. The article provides actionable tips, such as considering text expansion, avoiding ambiguity, and adapting visuals and colors to resonate with different cultures. The inclusion of real-world examples and questions to guide the localization process further enhances its practicality. Overall, this article serves as a helpful resource for anyone involved in product development aiming to reach a wider, international user base. #UXLocalization #ProductLocalization #GlobalUX #Internationalization #CrossCulturalDesign https://lnkd.in/e6uutRNx