In our increasingly globalized world, businesses are expanding their reach across borders, making website and app localization a critical success factor. When it comes to providing a seamless user experience (UX) and a visually appealing user interface (UI), the role of translators is indispensable. In this article, I address the importance of translators' work to the success of UX and UI during the localization process.
Translators play a pivotal role in bridging linguistic and cultural differences and ensuring that localized versions of websites and apps resonate with their target audiences.
What are the essential aspects that a good linguist considers to ensure the success of your website or app?
The cultural context
One of the primary challenges in localization is ensuring that the translated content is culturally appropriate and relevant. Translators have a deep understanding of the target culture, so they can adapt the content while taking into account local idioms, expressions, and nuances.
This cultural sensitivity extends to user interface (UI) elements, where translators adapt menus, buttons, and other interface components to meet the expectations and preferences of local users.
By accurately reflecting the intended meaning, translators improve the user experience (UX) and make the content clear and appealing to the target audience. Consistency Translators play a critical role in maintaining a coherent and polished UX and UI across all locales. They ensure that key terms, phrases, and brand elements are translated consistently throughout the website or app.
By adhering to approved style guides and glossaries, translators help create a seamless experience for users, avoid confusion, and improve the overall impression of professionalism and quality. Customization of user interface elements Translating UI elements is particularly challenging due to differences in language structure, character length, and formatting.
Experienced translators have the know-how to adapt UI elements taking into account these limitations. They adjust the length of text strings to fit within the components of UI while maintaining readability and visual harmony.
By considering the impact of translations on the overall layout and ensuring that the localized version maintains the original design and functionality, translators guarantee that the localization process is done in line with your branding strategy. Testing and feedback During the testing phase, translators often work closely with UX designers, developers, and localization teams. Their input is invaluable in identifying language or cultural issues that could impact UX and UI.
By providing feedback and collaborating on iterative improvements, translators help fine-tune the localized version and ensure that it meets the highest standards of usability and user satisfaction. User-centric approach Translators who specialize in localizing UX and UI understand the importance of taking a user-centric approach. They put themselves in the shoes of the end user and strive to create an experience that feels natural and native.
By adapting the content and elements of UI to the expectations of local users, translators contribute to the overall success of the website or app in the target market.
Why should you involve translators early in the localization process?
In today's global marketplace, where you need to expand your reach and connect with diverse audiences, the success of your UX and UI depends largely on the expertise of your localization team.
Through their deep understanding of language, culture, and user expectations, translators play a critical role in bridging linguistic and cultural differences and ensuring that localized versions provide a seamless and engaging experience.
Involve translators early in the localization process, and you will be able to position your business for success in local markets around the world.
About the author:
Ana Catarina is an English to Portuguese translator specialized in Healthcare and Marketing. She helps foreign companies to launch their brand and products in the Portuguese market by translating, localizing and transcreating their client-targeted contents to make them appealing to the Portuguese public.
