Localization, the process of optimizing a site or app across differing languages and cultures, goes far beyond basic translation. Actually, translation’s perhaps the easiest part. Sure, sometimes there are so many cultural similarities between the environment that spawned the original product and the target location that only minor tweaking is needed; but western designers and developers aiming to launch in China are facing a minefield of potential localization missteps. In this article, I’ll browse through a few of the major considerations that should be tackled when approaching the East. Localizing Visual Design Patterns Though it’s silly to use the word “users” as a blanket term, considering how differently individuals interact with the web, there are some commonly accepted semi-standards that can feel jarring if altered. You’ve seen them: the scroll bar’s usually on the right, contact information is often found in the footer, and links change visual state on hover. In similar fashion, the Chinese web has a few design patterns that are fairly ubiquitous.
↧