This is the second post in a series of blog posts on how to implement the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance on Delivering a Digital-First Public Experience. In our first post, we explored content governance, and in this post, we will look into translation and localization.
Translation and Localization
… agencies should ensure that websites and digital services are offered in languages that meet the needs of their customers.
—OMB Memorandum M-23-22
In the U.S., 8% of the population – more than 25 million people – have Limited English Proficiency (LEP). Ensuring these individuals can access information online is crucial. But it’s not just about offering Spanish and French translations. Websites need to think about a broader range of languages, such as Arabic, which is written from left to right, and Chinese, which uses a logographic system. These unique writing systems can drastically complicate the challenge. And without this inclusivity, disparities in understanding healthcare options, legal rights, civic duties, and emergency responses can emerge.
“Everyone in the country should be able to exercise their rights, obtain critical information and access benefits and services that they are eligible for, regardless of the language they speak, read or write.”
— Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke
Addressing the language access gap
I recently completed a research project focusing on people with limited English proficiency in the U.S. Our goal was to understand how people can most intuitively and efficiently locate content in their preferred language on websites. Some areas we explored include:
- Machine-translated content
- Finding the language selector
- Interacting with language options
As the Mandarin-language researcher on the team, I interviewed Chinese speakers of various ages from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. These participants have English proficiency ranging from basic literacy to first-grade level. Their experiences provided some fascinating insights. The following recommendations are based on my own research into translation best practices for government websites and interviews with these Chinese speakers.
Provide human-translated content
One key finding is that participants rarely find websites with human-translated Chinese options. They have to rely on auto-translate tools when searching and browsing for information online. The most popular tool is Google Translate, with some using Apple devices’ translation features. However, participants didn’t trust machine-translated content, as it is often unreliable and inconvenient.
The challenges observed and shared by the participants include:
- Limited knowledge of full-page translation features, leading participants to rely on manual methods, such as taking pictures of the screen and translating the image or copying and pasting the content directly into Google Translate.
- Full-page translation may not work on everything. For example, it may not translate a dropdown menu.
- The quality of the translation often does not meet expectations, leaving people confused. The graphic below shows a typical auto-translation mistake.
Another issue with machine translation is that, as noted by the Limited English Proficiency Committee, it may limit the findability of the content. Search engines don’t index on-demand machine-translated content because it does not have a fixed URL, such as yourwebsite.com/es/. This means non-English search terms may not surface relevant websites' machine translation to dynamically generate content. For example, if a website that provides free legal services to new immigrants uses only machine translation, the website will not appear in results for a Chinese-language search for "free legal service".
Organizations should provide human-translated content and test it with native speakers. When that’s not possible, development teams should review and test the implementations to make sure all elements are clearly marked and designed and therefore can be properly translated by auto - translation tools.
Give users a choice of language
Participants with limited English skills prefer human-translated content in Chinese, but they don’t always appreciate websites automatically showing them the Chinese version. Most participants are used to seeing websites in English and like to control their choice of language.
Therefore, I suggest that organizations offer a manual language selection option on their websites. This approach respects users’ preference and empowers them to choose the language that best suits their needs, exactly when they need it.
The language selector
Most Chinese-speaking participants expect the language selector to be in the top right corner of the page on both desktop and mobile devices. If they can’t find it in the top navigation bar, mobile users often check the hamburger menu.
Interestingly, while a selector labeled in Chinese characters (such as 简体中文) is the most obvious option, most participants expect to see a selector labeled “languages” due to its familiarity. This option also indicates to them that the contents are human-translated.
Icons are commonly used in user interfaces, but there isn’t a universal icon for language selection. Other researchers got varying results in testing with participants from different cultures. For example, all Chinese participants immediately recognized the translation icon, but the Arabic- speaking participants did not. Some Arabic-speakers mistook the Chinese character on the icon for a math symbol.
“If it (language selector) is in text form, I can use a translator to translate it, but I don't know how to translate this icon."
— A participant with very limited English proficiency
I recommend never using icons alone as language selectors. For Chinese users, a selector that has the word “languages” followed by a dropdown icon is the most intuitive and familiar option. An icon might be added before “languages” to draw more attention to the action, however, I advise against using the translation icon, as it’s often associated with computer translations. The US Web Design System “language selector” pattern gives implementation instructions, but does not specify a location for the dropdown. We recommend always placing it in the upper right corner.
Even when presented with language Call to Action (CTA) buttons placed in the header, hero section, and footer, surprisingly, the participants still chose to click the button on the header out of habit.
Given these findings, a single, prominently placed language selector in the top right corner is sufficient, as users strongly prefer using the language button in the header. Avoid automatically directing users to the Chinese version of the website.
Final thoughts
Creating truly accessible websites means going beyond basic translations and considering the diverse linguistic needs of people with limited English proficiency. As someone who learned English as a second language, I’ve experienced the challenges of navigating information in English firsthand. Even with my background, however, I found unexpected insights in this research, such as how the participants interpreted the language selector labels. These discoveries highlight the importance of research with native language speakers.
For organizations looking to do their own testing, recruiting participants through trusted sources like immigrant support groups, libraries, and ESL programs can be very effective. These groups offer access to vulnerable populations in a safe and familiar environment. Additionally, having researchers who speak the language and understand the culture of the participants is crucial for gathering accurate insights.
