It’s 2021 and they still can’t get the language switching utility done right

Google, Selfridges, and Gettyimages are just a few

Gmail’s login screen for all users in Hong Kong

If you’re based in a country or a territory that doesn’t have English as the primary language, many websites assume that all people in there speaks and reads their primary language.

Google

Google — since they’ve changed from an old-school Yahoo-looking sign in page, they’ve persistently shown a Chinese sign in page without any indication or display of the word “ENGLISH” to aid the non-Chinese user.

Selfridges

Selfridges — is a two-step challenge. While a user can immediately figure out where to change the language (with the help of a little flag), it will show all the available language options in Chinese characters too. So unless the poor expatriate knows what the Chinese characters are for “English”, then that person won’t be able to view the site in English.

Selfridges makes it impossible for a non-Chinese reader to switch to English

Even if you manage to find the language-switching utility, it will present all options in Chinese, leaving the non-Chinese literate user out of options.

Gettyimages

GettyImages also has a poor language-switching ulility.

The footer of Gettyimages.com when loaded in Hong Kong

While a small flag at the bottom will help indicate where to possibly change the language, clicking on it it will actually show flags of Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and China without any English language options available.

If you live in any of those countries listed here without English/alphabet characters then you won’t be able to browse their website in English using your territory’s currency/pricing.

It would have been acceptable if they had added another option “International” like what other websites would do. Instead, in the year 2021, GettyImages will only offer the primary language of a country or territory with no further utility for the non-Chinese reader to browse the site in English, nor to access an “International” website.

More sites will be added to this soon.