CULTURE MATTERS Part 4: Language and Localization
Major Korean and US companies, such as Samsung and Apple, know how to customize their brands to foreign local target markets. Without a doubt, these companies hire international and local employees who understand not only different languages, but different cultures, and have their fingers on the pulse.
Minki Lee, Chief Strategy Officer at AIX Inc., states the importance of honorifics in Korean culture:
“Honorifics are very important in Korea and are used by Koreans in everyday situations. Whether talking to their parents, bosses, teachers, or even strangers on the street, Korean people use levels of speech to show their respect toward others or to reflect the formality or informality of the situation. By understanding these levels of speech, you can assess which usage fits your users. For example, if you provide healthcare services to the elderly, the use of higher levels is a must. However, if your company targets young audiences, using lower levels of speech is a good choice as it won’t come off as too formal and will help create a friendly BTC relationship.” (Minki Lee, “Crucial Mistakes to Avoid When Localizing Your App to the Korean Market”)
Although language translation is of utmost importance, there are more things to consider when messages are addressed to the Korean market, including honorifics. In creating product services, product designers have to consider their target audience and user personas. If the app is designed for Korean users, the app typically has “more words, information, and calls-to-action compared to Western services.” (Minki Lee, “Crucial Mistakes to Avoid When Localizing Your App to the Korean Market”)
As an example, Shinhan Play is Shinhan Card’s comprehensive life finance platform provided by Shinhan Financial Group. This user interface is designed with numerous CTA buttons that link to various information about the user’s finances. Specifically, on the screen are: the left scroll bar, bottom navigation bar, text button, and floating action button (FAB).
In comparison, Chase Bank offers various products from viewing bank statements to paying bills. This design brings a more minimal approach with less text, CTA buttons, and visual hierarchy.
With South Korea’s rapid technological and economic growth, the country left analog and became digital at lightning speed. Research and data show that “smartphone use in Korea is increasing at an alarming rate. South Korea ranks at the top for smartphone ownership at 96%.” (John, “Smartphone Use in Korea is Getting Out of Hand and Hurting Koreans”). This led many tech companies to forego other platforms such as websites on desktops or tablets and focus primarily on mobile-based experiences. For UX designers, they need to consider their work based on the size of a mobile phone and how users’ eyes move within that space.
While Koreans use honorific terminologies to show respect and politeness to others, English being the primary language in America, is filled with slang, references, acronyms, and emojis. In the US, English is closely followed by Spanish as the “second-largest Spanish-speaking population” (Think with Google, “How to make your app localization successful in the USA”). More than just the language itself, Americans apply celebratory holidays to bring cultural inclusiveness with Cinco de Mayo, Diwali, and Chinese New Year, just to name a few. To reach their target market, e-commerce apps offer sales and deals according to the habits of the people who celebrate these holidays.
One of the most loved applications for manga readers is Webtoon by Naver Corporation. Webtoon serves to publish digital comics online for users to read freely. Typically, the comics are originally written and published in Korean and many comics are translated into English for international users.
Although Webtoon Korea and the US version have the same content, they have differences in translation, system of user flow, and sense of humor.
Webtoon English is more personalized than its Korean counterpart because it implements a ‘For You’ page, which recommends similar comics from those the user has read previously. On the other hand, Korean Webtoon features the latest and most highly-rated comics. While the English version individually tailors to its user, the Korean version focuses on what’s new and popular.
Visually, the Korean letterforms in the Korean Webtoon have lengthier characters in the user interface than the English Webtoon, which takes up more space and has a different layout and orientation. There are also unavoidable cultural references that expose international users to Korean culture. As most of the comics are curated by Korean comic artists, many of them include Korean folk tale, mythology, traditional attire, office politics, and more universal subjects, but contextually, they are all distinctly Korean. This exposes users to peek into Eastern culture through entertainment from the Webtoon platform.
Uber sets a great example of localization as a digital service in the US and Korea. Outside of the US, Uber provides taxi service for 72 countries around the world, catering to their customers based on their specific needs. Uber US offers Uber X, Uber X Share, Uber Black, Uber Lux, and other ride services.
Uber Korea partners with Korea’s UT mobility service and offers taxi options for riders, such as Standard Taxi, Speed Call, and UT Taxi. Since taxi services in Korea run rampant and are accessible for Koreans in the past, Uber has included and collaborated with taxi services in Korea.
An example of a poor localization model is a South Korean app called Weverse, created by the extremely successful entertainment company, HYBE. Weverse connects worldwide fans with their favorite K-pop artists and groups. The platform is accessible in its language translations, giving more exposure to Korean K-pop idols and artists worldwide. However, it has limited features that miss the ability to connect with the user’s preferences in the US. The app allows users to switch languages between Japanese, Korean, and English. Once the user chooses their language preference, Weverse translates the words on the screen, but the user experience remains the same. Weverse may be successful for those who are multilingual; however, it does not work for English-only or Japanese-only users. English or Japanese users may be confused by unfamiliar user experiences designed by a Korean company, made for South Koreans.
For instance, Weverse emphasizes the ‘Shop’ feature for users to browse through consumer merchandise. When American users shop on e-commerce sites, they typically expect the filter panel to personalize their needs, including ratings from user reviews or showcases of the best-selling products. Weverse, however, only allows users to search manually by alphabetical order, which brings an unpleasant experience for many international users.
To localize an app to a foreign country, language translation itself is not enough. Although users understand the content written in their own language, a user experience designed from a different country may not penetrate into their culture because the app did not consider habits and behaviors when it was developed for another country. Specifically, it is imperative to study the intended country’s culture and understand how users’ beliefs and thinking are valued differently in order to localize an app.
