Supporting other languages and regions.
WHAT TO SEPARATE FROM THE START
Text from code.
WHY FROM THE START
Extracting it later means touching every screen.
WHAT TO NEVER DO
Build sentences by joining fragments.
WHY
Word order differs between languages, producing nonsense.
WHAT TO USE
Complete messages with named placeholders.
WHAT ELSE VARIES
Plural forms Date and number formats Currency Name and address structure Text direction
WHAT LAYOUT MUST ACCOMMODATE
Text expanding substantially in translation.
WHAT BREAKS
Fixed-width buttons and single-line labels.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH BEFORE TRANSLATING
Whether a market justifies the ongoing cost.
WHY ONGOING
Every new feature requires translation forever.
WHAT TO TRANSLATE FIRST
The interface and the emails.
WHAT TO TRANSLATE LATER
Documentation, and marketing.
WHAT MACHINE TRANSLATION PROVIDES
A starting point requiring review.
WHY REVIEW
Errors are invisible to you and obvious to users.
WHAT TO CONSIDER LOCALLY
That English serves most business users here, and that regional formats and currency matter more than language.
WHAT TO PRIORITISE
Formats, currency and payment methods, before translation.
