http://www.TranslationIsUX.com http://twitter.com/TranslationIsUX Translation plays a major role in the user experience. Why neglect it? In the Web world, User Experience is progressively taking the central position it has always deserved. Designers, entrepreneurs and developers attend to their users' every need and this is great news. UX designers know that creating a user experience implies tackling many different parameters and having an eye for detail: interfaces, processes, texts, graphics, etc. However we regret that one of those parameters, which does have a major impact, is too often neglected: translation. Let's localise experiences, place all users in a central position, original version users as well as the others. Web and translation professionals, let's stick and work together. “Translation is UX!” Verónica González de la Rosa, translator Antoine Lefeuvre, UX designer

1. Translation is UX
Manifesto
By Verónica Gonzalez de la Rosa, translator, @vgdelarosa
& Antoine Lefeuvre, UX designer, @jiraisurfer
www.TranslationIsUX.com
@TranslationIsUX.com

2. Translation plays
a major role in
the user
experience.
Why should it be
neglected?

4. “Copyrighting is
Interface Design”.
So is translation.
Making copy understandable and
appropriate requires a lot of effort.
Translating it is just as demanding.

6. Would you put a
robot in charge of the
interface design?
No, it's science fiction, of course.
However machines are frequently
given the responsibility of the
translation.
There's no C-3PO yet!

7. “Translating is a
respectable,
valuable, creative
and worthwhile
use of a human
brain”

9. Community translation
is developing, for
better or for worse.
Open source is fantastic. But it does
not necessarily means amateurishness.
Let's get the best from community
development: Open, professional and
subjected to quality controls.

11. Glossaries are
stylesheets.
Making sure the same font is used
everywhere is good. Making sure
“module”, “plugin” or “extension” aren't
used to refer to one same concept is a
good thing, too.
Glossaries must be the team's
document: Understood, used and fed
by all.

13. Designers, developers
and translators. A
wonder team.
Removing barriers between
professionals is essential. It's time to
enrich your team working arm in arm
with translators.

14. What you can do.
Web professionals: Translate early,
translate often. You may even try
“Foreign First”: Launching a foreign
version before the original one.
Translation professionals: Learn
programming languages. Understanding
the code (HTML, CSS, JS) is
understanding the people who code.