English vs regional languages in Indian apps 📲
The user interface debate
In every meeting room of a consumer tech startup, one topic has been debated for years: whether their app's user interface should be in English or in regional languages. It's a question that cannot be avoided. Even though the consumer tech industry in India has been evolving for over a decade, there hasn't been a single conclusive answer to this question.
Here is a thought experiment. If you visit an Indian household, it's not uncommon to come across packaging boxes with English labels. Sometimes, you might also find Chinese or Japanese characters on them. However, it's rare to see these households subscribing to foreign language newspapers, journals, or TV channels. This raises an interesting question - why would an Indian consumer purchase a product with English packaging but not subscribe to an English TV channel? The answer lies in the complex relationship that Indians have with the English language, which isn't simply black or white. In this edition, I'll explore the intricacies of English comprehension among Indians and how it can impact your app's language localization decision.
Two schools of thoughts
When it comes to language localisation, the product orgs share two schools of thoughts. One group argues for the translation of UI into local languages, citing English's foreignness and the discomfort it poses for many Indians. The other faction views English as an aspirational language associated with social prestige, advocating for English interfaces.
Before we decide on which side of the argument to take, let's categorize digital apps into two broad categories, content-driven and transaction-driven apps. I like to call it the content-transaction framework.
Content-driven apps:
The primary goal is the consumption, sharing and engagement with digital content.
This includes news apps, social media platforms, video streaming services and educational apps.
The apps themselves do not compel users to have a specific intention, but the success of the platform is determined by the amount of time users spend on it.
Transaction driven apps:
The primary goal is to facilitate transactions, such as purchases, bookings, or exchanges.
This includes e-commerce sites, banking apps, travel booking apps, and online marketplaces.
The app's ideal customer persona has a specific objective, and success is measured in conversion rates and transaction volumes.
In short, spending 30 minutes on Amazon to complete a transaction or spending a mere two minutes watching content on Netflix can be disastrous for their businesses.
If we closely examine the framework, we will notice that some flows in these apps resemble the characteristics of the opposite category. For instance, Hotstar, which is primarily a content-driven app, has a subscription flow that is more transactional in nature. On the other hand, Flipkart, a transaction-driven app, has a product discovery flow that mirrors the content-driven nature.
How is the framework relate to apps’ language?
I'm almost at that point. Let’s say, if my mother has been primarily purchasing groceries from the local Kirana store for a long time and is then introduced to a supermarket, it can be overwhelming because the procedures and layout of a supermarket are different from those of a Kirana store. She may need some initial guidance to understand how supermarkets operate. However, once she becomes familiar with it, she won't need assistance on subsequent visits. On the flip side, if she watches a few English movies with Tamil subtitles, there's no guarantee that she will be able to watch the third movie without subtitles.
In transactional exchanges, language serves as a mere tool of communication, but the process also involves imagery and interaction. When my mother looks for spices in the store, the decision-making process is based on choosing between MTR Masala and MDH Masala, rather than focusing on the aisle sign. However, in content-driven exchanges, language plays a central role, and the success depends on how well the audience can connect with the content.
Even in content-driven applications, it is not just the language but also the cultural relevance that fosters familiarity. This is why there is a growing trend of OTT content in regional languages, with platforms like Hotstar even investing in remaking popular English shows in Hindi rather than simply dubbing them.
Therefore, transactional applications can continue to use English interfaces since visual elements and muscle memory play a significant role.
Affinity towards English
Studying English in India opens doors to improved prospects and quality of life. With approximately 15 lakh schools and 26.5 lakh students in the country, 26% of students attend English medium schools, primarily private institutions. A unique subset of these schools, I call them as bilingual medium schools, teach and take exams in English but don't encourage English communication among students and teachers. Consequently, students may be proficient in reading and writing English but struggle with fluent communication.
In daily conversations, Indians may not be consciously thinking in English, but it is common to hear English words being used alongside local languages such as Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, and Kannada. For instance, words like bus, cycle, and car are often referred to by their English names in Hindi. While there are pure Hindi translations available, such as "चक्रिका" (Chakrika) for cycle, they are not commonly used. The reasons for this could be a lack of necessity for using pure Hindi words or simply a comfort with mixing English into conversations.
For Indians, English might be a foreign language, but it's not an alien language like Mandarin or Spanish.
Fun fact, India’s most-watched Youtube video both in animated and non-animated category is about learning English 💁
Bollowood’s most iconic dialogue ever also has quite a bit of English in it.
Challenges with regional language translation
Google Translate for UI translations doesn’t work. Period. While AI-powered translation services may be the future, we are not quite there yet. Initiatives like Bashini from the Indian government bring hope for more accurate and inclusive language translations on the internet. However, manual translation remains the most effective method for local language translations at the moment. When starting the manual translation process, several questions may arise.
Which languages should you focus on? Beginning with Hindi is a clear decision, and the choice of additional languages should be based on your target market. The decision on which languages to prioritize is not just a matter of user interface but also of business strategy. For instance, a platform like Meesho would only consider investing in Tamil translation if it had a substantial number of sellers who could deliver to Tamil Nadu or a large user base in that region.
How much translation is enough? Should the translation be in pure Hindi, using चक्रिका for cycle instead of साइकिल? If we opt for transliteration in addition to translation, what would be the appropriate balance? As there are no set guidelines dictating which words to use in English versus the local language, it is usually a subjective decision. An example of this variation can be seen in how the same action is translated differently in various e-commerce apps.
Should we invent words? Should digitally native words like sign up, login, and cart be kept in their original form or translated into the local language when translating digital interfaces? For instance, should we use "Sign up" or "Account kholiye"?
Translation with cultural context: Translations that incorporate cultural nuances are more meaningful than simple language translations, as seen in notifications from platforms such as Zomato and Swiggy. Zomato employs local copywriters to create notifications that are culturally relevant, incorporating trending topics and popular memes. Zomato's Tamil copywriter Shwetha Shankar has become a mini-celebrity, with her interviews being widely featured on Tamil YouTube channels. That’s the power of good holistic localization.
A poorly translated app or product can impact its perception and lead to ridicule, something that should be avoided. In all honesty, language localization requires ongoing effort and dedicated monitoring to ensure a better user experience. Randomly diving into it without dedicated teams and long-term investment could potentially cause more harm than good.
Recommendations for language localisations
Without dedicated language localisation teams and funding, here are some tips for overcoming language barriers in UI design.
Write for scanning and not reading.
Indians have subconsciously created a unique form of English by piecing together common words to understand sentences. To improve comprehension in communication, we should break down complex sentences into simpler words, even if they don't follow standard grammar rules. This helps reduce mental strain and makes tasks easier to understand.
Hinglish translation
Despite the diversity of spoken languages in India, the Qwerty keyboard remains the most popular choice for typing characters in Hinglish on the internet. This can be seen in how Indians communicate on platforms like WhatsApp. The combination of Hindi and English in Hinglish translation is a novel experiment that has not been widely implemented in Indian apps, but has the potential to increase usage.
Contextual translation
Translation of apps can be done contextually, meaning it is only performed when necessary for content-heavy flows and information rather than translating the entire app. This approach saves time, money, and effort on translation.
(Fin)
If you work in product management or design, please share your experience with language localization in the comments.
Informative post! I agree with your views. From what I have seen with myself and people around me, users don’t really read everything written in the UI. They mostly scan the text and create their own meaning based on past experiences. Because of this, literal translation often doesn’t work well and makes the content heavy, which increases cognitive load.
Transliteration is a new word for me, so thanks for explaining it. I feel this approach works better, especially when we use fewer and simpler words, just like how we talk in daily conversations without worrying about grammar rules. This post gave me good clarity and I hope it will help me while designing experiences for Indian users.
Refreshing read. Agreed with the view that complete translation of UI into native languages would not be beneficial to the users and transliteration should be one way to consider going forward. However, I also believe that the penetration of English words in "India" user's daily conversations is not at par with the "Bharat" users. We should be mindful of the fact while designing for the "Bharat" segment users.