Localisation
Adapting a product for other languages, scripts and regions, from translated text to names, fonts and formats that render correctly.
Updated October 2026 · with examples from our own builds
What does localisation mean in practice?
Localisation goes further than translation. Text grows or shrinks, scripts such as Devanagari or Tamil need fonts and line handling the original never had, and names, currencies and dates follow local rules. A product that works in English can fail quietly in Hindi without a single error in the logs.
Indian products meet this early, because customers write in more than one script and a form, a scanner or a video caption has to keep what they wrote rather than drop it. Leaving room for it in the design costs little; retrofitting it means touching every screen.
Testing only in English is how the problems hide. Automated tests often use stand-ins that never draw real glyphs, so the first real render in another language is where they show up.
Localisation at a glance
- Plan for it in
- The design brief and the data model, not after launch
- Test with
- Real text in each script, rendered end to end
- Often missed
- Fonts and libraries on the server, not just the browser
Where has localisation come up in our builds?
Storyboards can be translated into 65 languages. The first real Hindi and Tamil renders in October 2026 failed because the server's ffmpeg had no libass or libfreetype and the test suite used a fake renderer; we moved to a full static build and replaced a notched Devanagari caption band with one box behind the whole line.
Our first visiting-card prompt told the models to drop Tamil names, which is wrong for a Chennai firm. It now copies names in the script they are printed in.
The design brief leaves room for Hindi and Kannada text, alongside WCAG AA contrast and 44 px touch targets.
Common questions about localisation
Does my app need to handle Indian scripts from day one?
If users will type names, addresses or messages in them, the data and the fonts should cope from the start, even if the interface is English-only. Translating the interface can wait; losing what customers wrote can't be undone.
Why do translations break page layouts?
Words change length between languages and some scripts sit taller or join letters, so text that fitted a button in English can wrap or clip. Leave room in the design and test with real translated text, not placeholder strings.
Related terms
Sources
Planning a product and not sure where localisation fits? Ask us, or browse all 116 terms in the glossary.