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Ask HN: Website, you know me. Why serve me a new language?

7 points by michaelteter ↗ HN
When traveling or living in multiple locations in the world, I often encounter the problem of websites that insist on serving me the local language (even if I am logged in and they know my origin).

These sites obviously are itnernationalized, as they can present content in at least 3+ languages. But still, I have to struggle to find ways to get them to serve me in English, with the currency of my choice. On the currency, I can adjust or mentally calculate. But on the language, it is too tedious to translate everything.

Why is it this way? Shouldn't it be possible to localize based on logged-in-user preference?

15 comments

[ 3.5 ms ] story [ 44.8 ms ] thread
cratermoon
It's really fun with map software. When in a foreign country, the UI shouldn't switch to the language of that country, without your permission. But it does need to show you place names in the local language.
activiation
Why does it need to show you local places names in the local language? Where I lived we translated remote places to local language...
michaelteter
Well, names should not be translated. Street names, for example, would be useless translated.

But UI labels should be presented in the profile-selected language rather than the local language.

activiation
If you don't know the language, they are useless either way.... All you need to hear is "take the next right"
cratermoon
You don't need to know the language to know you're looking for a sign that says "Rue Neuve" or "Nieuwstraat"
activiation
You don't need to know the language if you are following GPS directions either... You don't even need street names
weikju
Unless the street or place names are written in a script you can’t read…
cratermoon
True, but then showing them in the user's first language isn't going to help much, either. At some point the software should say, in effect, "I have no idea what to do. Whatever I'm showing you might be completely wrong, please guide me to do what you want". Instead, it seems to default to confidently showing you whatever its best guess is, even if that leads you into trouble.

I guess I've gone off on a tangent a bit.

weikju
No, you are completely right, and I think that's the direction the original question/comment leads to: there is already a known preference (in the browser settings, OS settings, account history) to have a better prediction of what the user wants - and the possibility of adding settings to override/change that if needed!

Instead, every site/service/app is just trying to guess, and often enough guesses wrongly.

stevekemp
I live in Finland, which has two official languages - Finnish and Swedish.

Streetnames are usually written in both languages, as are bus-stops, tram-stops, etc.

Google maps always shows me directions and routes in Swedish despite my attempts to make it use Finnish. Can be a bit jarring and distracting, but I've mostly become resigned to it.

solardev
Really it should do both, like how Google Maps already does. Try looking at Japan in English Google Maps, for example, and you'll find the English name right above the Japanese one.

Having placenames in the user's selected language is useful for comprehension and remembering. I can't form a mental picture of a route, or a day's destinations, if I can't read or pronounce anything I see. Having the names localized to my language makes that possible, if not ideal.

On the other hand, knowing what the place is written as in its local script (its autonym/endonym) is useful for placefinding. Usually local signage is more reliable in the local script, especially for smaller streets and businesses. Also useful for asking a passerby for directions, if they can't read English (or I can't pronounce the local language well enough, which is the case for most places in the world).

michaelteter
I'm talking about the menus, titles, and non-local content though.

My most recent example is Prime Video. I'm in Portugal at the moment, and it seems like everything on the page is Portuguese. If I go to my profile, once I find it, all menus and labels are also in the local language. At this point, Amazon has been working with me for over 10 years in English. They know me.

cratermoon
> I'm talking about the menus, titles, and non-local content though.

That's what I'm saying about the UI - that should not change to the local language, unless the user asks for that language.

stncls
There are lots of dirty tricks to determine the user's preferred language, which work for 95% of the population, and unfortunately are sometimes very frustrating for the rest.

For example, some browsers default to en-US, so as a response, websites (mainly: google) ignore that locale and fall back to geoip-based guessing in that case.

One workaround is to explicitly set a locale other than en-US, yet an acceptable one. I personally choose en-CA. One side-benefit is SI measurement units.

taubek
I guess that they are use IP geo based approach to translation; you get content based on your IP address.