Multilingual interface design differences

For products involving multiple languages, such as translation, cross-border, and localization, the page needs to be adapted according to the differences in text-length, text-height, and line-height due to the differences in culture, language, and usage habits.


1 Language Differences

Font type
Referring to Material Design’s definition of font types, there are three main types of fonts in the modern world:
  • Dense characters: Mainly Chinese, Japanese, and Korean (East Asian characters). Each character tends to be square, usually of equal width.
  • Tall characters: Mainly in South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and other places, the fonts are taller and require additional line-height.
  • Latin characters: Mainly in Western Europe, Central Europe, Eastern Europe and most of Africa, such as English, Greek, etc.


1.1 Text-length
 Word lengths vary significantly between languages, and text-overflow is likely to occur


1.2 Text-height Non-Latin characters tend to be taller than Latin characters, and the height or density of these characters will lead to an increase in the height of the arrangement.



1.3 Line-height
To ensure optimal readability, exceptionally tall character fonts. Higher vertical space (i.e., line height) must be reserved in the design. For example, Thai text requires approximately 130% more vertical space than English.

The height difference will become more evident as the font size increases, and different line height design specifications need to be set for different languages.


1.4 Alignment
Regular text is aligned. Some particular languages (RTL), such as Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, etc., are read and written from right to left and require mirroring design.




✨2 Principles

  • Reserve more space (horizontal - width, vertical - height)
  • Use icons appropriately
  • Adjust text attributes (font width, line height, size, etc.)
For unavoidable long copies, follow the principles of Streamlined copies > Line breaks > Font scale > Omission.
(Font scale means adjusting the font size)



⚠️3 Attentions

3.1 Equipment differences
There are differences in mainstream devices (popular models) and users' Internet habits in different regions. For example, the penetration rate of high-end mobile devices will affect the output of responsive design, motion design, etc.


3.2 Word structure differences - line breaks
The same structures are not necessarily found in different languages, such as Finnish, German and Dutch, which replace short words with single large words.

For example, "voice input function" is a very long word in German translation. In some small screens or designs requiring length control (like menu bars, buttons, and other components), Chinese and English can easily wrap, while in German, line breaks are not allowed, and the layout needs reconsidered.
3.3 Internet speed problem
It is necessary to consider the overseas countries’ network speed and traffic charges. For example, the network speed in Southeast Asia is generally slow, which will affect the design decision.


3.4 UX User cognitive experience
The domestic Internet is accustomed to designing a single application as an ecosystem, while the American product design model is more simple and simple in function, such as the interfaces of PayPal and Alipay.

3.5 Abbreviation
If a word/sentence is too long, you can consider abbreviating it, but you need to consider the accuracy of the meaning of the abbreviation.
Abbreviations are not common in some languages. For example, Arabic has a very compact word structure. Only by adding suffixes and some local changes can the meaning be accurately conveyed. Abbreviations can lead to misinterpretation.
Also pay attention to the order differences between writing methods such as date and time in the Chinese environment and the English environment to avoid misunderstandings.
e.g: Chinese: 2023/01/01 English: 01/01/2023 or Jan 1, 2023




｜☕️THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.