Questions tagged [language]
For questions regarding the use of language as a main part of any step of the UX process, from research to final products. This encompasses Cultural UX and Inclusive UX as well.
218
questions
193
votes
13
answers
17k
views
Language of language names in the language selector?
Imagine a site that's available in multiple languages. The language is detected automatically by looking at the IP or the browser header. But that's not bulletproof, so a few users might end up on a ...
106
votes
11
answers
31k
views
How to graphically represent a language
Websites often present language selection to users with flag icons, but I think this is simply wrong. Flags represent countries.
There are two reasons for a user to change the display language (or at ...
53
votes
5
answers
6k
views
Is it default that an English version is always Title Case, while other languages like Dutch don't use Title Case?
I have a multilingual site, and I wondered about this. It feels really inconsistent to use Title Case for one language, but normal casing for another language.
Despite that, it seems to be common. ...
47
votes
4
answers
14k
views
Should language be part of a website url?
When designing a website that can be viewed in multiple languages, should I put the language in the urls? Like:
http://www.site.com/en/
Or alternatively, should I put it somewhere in the session or ...
40
votes
12
answers
9k
views
Should a country name in a country selection list be the country's local name? [duplicate]
The other day I was browsing a German-localized website but needed to order something from their UK site. There was a country selection dropdown so I tried to use that one. I'm not fluent in German so ...
40
votes
6
answers
3k
views
Is the term 'field' too technical when giving messages on a form?
When writing help or validation messages on a form I usually write something along the lines of:
"This field is required"
"5 fields need to be corrected on this form"
etc
Is the term field too ...
35
votes
10
answers
2k
views
Can't get users to choose the language they speak on language learning site
I making this website for users to learn languages. The idea is for them to choose a language they understand and a language they want to learn.
In the home page the users choose a language they ...
35
votes
4
answers
5k
views
Is it reasonable to use language codes in an interface?
In an interface that supports multiple languages, is it reasonable to show them by their language code, or should the full names be used?
eg:
Select Language:
En ❘ De ❘ Es ❘ Fr ❘ Pt ❘ Ru ❘ Zh
Or is ...
33
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Dropdowns & Chevrons for Right to Left languages
Assuming we have use a dropdown with a chevron to indicate that it is in fact a dropdown, does the position of the chevron change depending on the directionality of the language? I.E. does the chevron ...
32
votes
5
answers
7k
views
Should I use country flags in language selection fields?
My users can create content in different languages, and I need to provide an option to choose the language when they enter new content.
Right now there are only 5 languages (en, fr, de, pt, es), and ...
30
votes
12
answers
24k
views
Alternative term to "Blacklist" and "Whitelist"
In short, my company is developing a management tool for managing SIM cards. One of the features of the tool is to block the SIM card if it's put into a none allowed device by device IMEI validation.
...
30
votes
3
answers
3k
views
What UI/UX patterns do not "translate" well when localized to other languages? [closed]
I wanted to see what tips other designers with more experience designing for web applications and sites that must handle multiple language might have.
I know the basics, like expect the length of ...
21
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Why does Stack Exchange require you to click to be turned down? [duplicate]
On any Stack Exchange site you can't vote for your own question.
So, Why does it give you the option, and then reject your vote? Would it not be better just not to have the option?
This way they are ...
21
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Which is the best way to select a language from 400 possibilities?
We are defining a language selector for 400 languages.
Given the massive number of languages compared to other websites, we applied several mechanisms to reduce the complexity of the language list. ...
20
votes
7
answers
5k
views
Alphabetical grouping of accented words
We have a list of countries in our UI where the design prototype groups the countries by initial letter. The country names change by language, so the grouping also changes. This also means that the ...
19
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Common website phrases in multiple languages?
Is there a resource anywhere that lists common web UI phrases in multiple languages?
I'm interested in having quick access to translations of phrases like cancel, save, welcome, and so on for quick ...
17
votes
3
answers
33k
views
How can humans read this correctly? [closed]
Surprisingly, the image below is readable to humans. It is not a specific language. How is this possible?
1N73LL1G3NC3 15 7H3 4B1L17Y 70 4D4P7 70 CH4NG3.
573PH3N H4WK1NG
16
votes
2
answers
2k
views
How should keyboard mnemonics be localized?
Is there a standard approach to localizing (internationalize) keyboard mnemonics?
For example, in Windows Notepad in English, if the user types Alt+E then P, the Edit menu opens and then the Paste ...
15
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Why would users of an Arabic interface show an F pattern in eye tracking tests?
Why does eye tracking on the Arabic version of my interface show an F-pattern only 50% of the time? I had assumed it would show a reversed F-pattern because Arabic people read right to left.
15
votes
5
answers
9k
views
Language selection: top or bottom of the page?
A client has the requirement to provide translation options on their website, most likely using an automated solution like Google Translate. A colleague and I have been discussing the best way to ...
15
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Designing bidi text editing
Background. "Bidi" refers to the bidirectional text, that is a text where traditional left-to-right scripts are intermixed with right-to-left ones, such as Arabic, Hebrew, Farsi, Thaana, etc. Such ...
14
votes
5
answers
5k
views
Should I hide the multi-language selection button/menu if my app has only one language currently?
Suppose my app may have multi language in the future, but currently has one language only. Should I hide the multi-language selection button/menu, in order to avoid a language menu with 1 item only?
...
14
votes
5
answers
1k
views
Ask users to input or just show the field
I have a website that keeps track of oranges OR apples. Is it better that I ask or just show the input.
Is the green text needed?
It's a 50/50 that they'll have oranges or apples, so I would need to ...
14
votes
3
answers
3k
views
UX principles for multilanguage websites?
Different websites--even the largest and most popular-- take different approaches to localization, and I suspect that not all are very user friendly. By looking at examples online and reading articles,...
13
votes
1
answer
798
views
Should I provide the option to change the language in an app?
Smartphones settings allow you to choose a default language thereby ensuring your application displays in that language. Is it useful to provide an option to change this language within my application ...
13
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What UI patterns are effective for editing multilingual content?
What are the best UI patterns for editing multilingual content?
I'm asking about situations where user needs to fill same information (product name, description), in several languages.
Updated: My ...
12
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Should autocorrect include swear words out of the box?
Let's not hide it - it is just common language. Many people do call their friends "b * * * * * s" or "m * * * * rf * * * * rs", and there is no negative context to it.
The iOS autocorrect feature ...
12
votes
6
answers
542
views
User suggestions in electronic dictionary
Let's imagine we have an electronic dictionary - it doesn't matter if it's a webpage, a desktop application or a mobile app. The question might also apply to an encyclopaedia.
Every entry has the ...
11
votes
9
answers
2k
views
Hyphenating URLs and email addresses that would overflow their container?
This is clearly bad UX and web development:
It's important to make sure that email addresses and URLs don't overflow the container, but also that they are fully visible.
But should the email address ...
11
votes
5
answers
1k
views
Is it absolutely necessary to show the currently selected language in a language selector?
There are three choices of language. At least on mobile it would be nice if I could save a little space in the footer by omitting the currently active language. This seems risky though as it means the ...
11
votes
4
answers
955
views
How can you make names in one alphabet readable and pronouncable by users of another alphabet?
A few months ago, World of Warcraft decided to make a drastic change in their Player vs Player matchmaking system: Russian players would be able to face off against non-Russian players on English ...
11
votes
2
answers
623
views
How to create a common shared vocabulary to talk about design?
A client I am currently working at has a problem with inconsistent designs.
I have identified the causes and one thing I notice is the lack of a proper language shared by all stakeholders to ...
10
votes
5
answers
552
views
How annoying is it to see your native language rendered with no accents?
I'm localizing my iOS app. All of the screen text, though, is rendered in a handwriting font made by our designer... that contains no special characters. (Yeah, roll your eyes. Go for it.)
As I'm now ...
10
votes
4
answers
2k
views
A good solution how to localize and let user choose language on HTML page
I read another question where a poster states that flags should not be used for languages since flags represent countries. In my mind I agree but in my eye this solution is the best:
Do you agree ...
10
votes
3
answers
1k
views
How to label resources belonging to users in a two-sided marketplace?
I read great advice on “Your” vs “My” in user interfaces and 'My Account' or 'Your Account'?
But neither deals with the special case of two-sided marketplaces.
Example - airbnb clone
Suppose a user ...
10
votes
3
answers
8k
views
Placement of a Change language button
Where would you place a Change language button/Country selector (or dropdown) on a web page? In a footer menu or in a utility menu in the top right corner of a web page or somewhere else on the page? ...
10
votes
6
answers
2k
views
Is culture or language a stronger influence on UI design differences?
I read the article by Dan Grover on Chinese Mobile app UI trends and the differences compared to English or western mobile apps. The main list is provided below:
Input is Hard
Indeterminate Badges
...
10
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Is it good to change keyboard's input language automatically in JavaScript?
In some websites, there are forms to be filled by the end-user.
In multilingual contexts, some developers try to change the input language of the keyboard or hook to the field that should be filled ...
10
votes
1
answer
229
views
Website language negotiation
According to these chaps here, for example, the reason why the likes of Google and various other imitators big and small use mostly GeoIP techniques for choosing the UI language, even overriding the ...
9
votes
4
answers
4k
views
Setting a default localization in a website
We are having trouble understanding the best case for UX when it comes to default language/locale on a website
At the moment, the website behave like this:
a predefined list of languages is set - in ...
9
votes
1
answer
7k
views
Currency format: By Locale or Currency?
Similar to this, but different question: International Currency Formatting Guidelines — Currency Codes
Wondering if currency formats are locale or currency dependent. For instance, if I wanted ...
9
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Changing the language of a website
While travelling abroad, I often get pages on websites that are normally in English for me (e.g. images.google.com) served instead in whatever the local language is. The problem is that I can't read ...
8
votes
6
answers
4k
views
'OK' or 'Ok' on UI?
I always thought that first variant (both letters written uppercase) is appropriate (maybe because I'm a Windows user), but recently I see more usages of second one (only first letter written ...
8
votes
3
answers
831
views
input type file workaround for usability reason
The HTML input of type file consists of a text filed and a button that says "Browse". Because our users are not English speakers, we would like to change the wording on the button to be in Hebrew.
But ...
8
votes
4
answers
3k
views
How to handle language detection and suggestion?
In a website that offers translated versions of the website in various languages (6), how should we handle language detection and suggestion?
My theory is that:
Users hate splash screens in which ...
8
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Why does Google Maps translate/transliterate English street names to Hangul?
I've always wondered something, about how Maps (and a lot of other apps, like the native iOS weather app) convert city names and street names to Hangul (the Korean alphabet), as apposed to leaving ...
8
votes
4
answers
428
views
Which gender should I write to
In my language (Hebrew) verbs can be appointed to either male or female, written in a bit different form. (there is no form referring to both).
Which gender should I write "to" (what form of ...
7
votes
1
answer
553
views
Should I use American or British English?
I'm working on a few small games, and I was wondering if I should use American or British English for my user interface? I'm not targetting any specific country, and this will probably be the only ...
7
votes
5
answers
739
views
Verbosity of labels
Is it better for labels to have a more conversational, verbose tone such as
"Chose a type"
or should they be more succinct like:
"Type"
7
votes
3
answers
414
views
Country/Region Specific locales: How much is it important?
In our website, we are providing more than one language choice, so users will be able to use the website if they knew any of these languages.
However, it surprised me that one site I've visited ...