Localization vs. Translation: Why Your Website Should Keep Them Separate

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When expanding a website for a global audience, businesses often confuse translation with localization. While they are related, treating them as the same process can lead to usability issues and a poor user experience. Additionally, many websites make the mistake of assuming that a user's preferred language matches their physical location, which can cause frustration.

In this post, we’ll break down the differences between translation and localization, why your website should separate them, and why language preferences should not be tied to a user's location.

The Problem: Conflating Location and Language

Many websites make the mistake of assuming that location dictates language. While there's often a correlation, it's far from a perfect match. Think about it:

  • Multilingual Regions: Countries like Switzerland, Canada, and Belgium have multiple official languages. A user in Switzerland might prefer to browse in German, French, or Italian. Assuming their language based on their IP address (which indicates location) would be inaccurate.

  • Expatriates and Travelers: Someone living abroad might prefer to browse in their native language, even if they're physically located in a different country. A German expat in Spain might still want to see the website in German.

  • Language Learning: Some users might prefer to browse in a language they're learning, regardless of their location.

  • Shared Computers: In internet cafes, libraries, or shared family computers, users might not have control over the browser's language settings. Relying on these settings can lead to an incorrect language selection.

The Problem with Accept-Language HTTP Header:

Websites often use the Accept-Language HTTP header, sent by the browser, to determine the user's preferred language. While this can be helpful, it's not foolproof. As mentioned above, on shared computers, the Accept-Language header might reflect the preferences of a previous user. Users might also not know how to change this setting, or it might be locked by system administrators in certain environments. Therefore, relying solely on this header can lead to a frustrating experience.

Examples of What Not to Do:

  • Automatic Redirection Based on IP: A user in Canada is automatically redirected to the French version of the site, even though their browser and system language are set to English. This is a classic example of location overriding language preference.

  • Flag Icons as Language Options: Using flag icons to represent language is problematic. Flags represent countries, not languages. What about Spanish speakers in the US? Or English speakers in India? This conflates nationality with language.

  • Hidden Language Settings: Language options are buried deep in the footer or only appear after navigating through several pages. Users shouldn't have to hunt for their preferred language.

  • Sole Reliance on Accept-Language: The website assumes the browser's language setting is the user's actual preference, ignoring the possibility of shared computers or incorrect settings.

The Solution: Always Give Users Control

The key is to treat location and language as distinct, yet related, pieces of information and always give users explicit control over both. Here's how to do it right:

  • Explicit Language Selection: Provide clear and prominent language options, ideally using the language name itself (e.g., "English," "Español," "Deutsch") rather than flags. Place these options in a visible location, such as the header or footer, on every page.

  • Location as a Secondary Consideration: Use location data (IP address) to suggest a default language and/or currency, but always allow the user to override this suggestion. A simple popup or banner saying "We've detected you're in [Location]. Would you like to view the site in [Suggested Language]? [Yes/No]" is a good approach. Even if they click "yes," the language option should still be readily available.

  • User Profiles and Preferences: For returning users, store their language and location preferences in their user profile. This ensures a consistent experience across sessions.

  • Content Localization, Not Just Translation: Consider cultural nuances and adapt content accordingly. Simply translating text without considering cultural context can be ineffective or even offensive. Dates, times, and units of measurement should also be localized.

  • Clear Location Settings: If location-specific content is crucial (e.g., store locator, shipping information), provide a separate and easy-to-use location selection mechanism. This could be a dropdown menu or a map interface.

Example of How to Do It Right:

  • A user lands on a website and sees a small popup: "We've detected you're in the UK. Would you like to view prices in GBP and the site in English? [Yes/No]"

  • Regardless of the user's choice in the popup, a language dropdown menu is always visible in the header, offering options like "English," "Français," "Español," etc.

  • The footer contains a link to "Change Location," where the user can specify their country for location-specific content.

By implementing these best practices, websites can create a more inclusive and user-friendly experience for their global audience. Respecting the distinction between location and language, and always giving users the control to choose, is not just good practice, it's essential for building trust and maximizing your online reach.

How Routex' approach helps

Routex's approach to localized routing reinforces the principle of keeping language and location distinct. No implicit information is embedded in the routes.

When dealing with region-based pages changing a user's region (and thus the associated region-specific content) doesn't necessitate an automatic language switch. And when dealing with language-based pages changing a user's language doesn't necessitate an automatic region switch.

Imagine a scenario where a user is browsing a region-based site in English but wants to see the pricing and product availability for the Indian market. With Routex, they can navigate to the India region-specific page (e.g., /in/products) without being forced to switch to another language. The site can maintain the user's preferred language (English in this case) while displaying the relevant Indian content.

This is in stark contrast to systems where language and region are implicitly linked. In such cases, switching regions might inadvertently trigger a language change, leading to a confusing and frustrating user experience.

Conclusion

Localization and translation serve different purposes and should be handled separately to provide the best user experience. Similarly, a user's preferred language should not be assumed based on their location. By keeping these elements distinct, websites can ensure better usability, compliance, and engagement for a global audience.

By adopting a user-first approach, where language is a choice and location is used only for relevant regional settings, businesses can create a seamless, accessible, and culturally appropriate experience for all users.