Mirela
A UX writer is someone that writes copy in a way that users don’t stop to think about whether an interface was originally written in another language—they just navigate effortlessly. That’s the ultimate goal. But how do you achieve that? Let’s go through the UX writing best practices that can help you maintain both linguistic and functional integrity.
Craft clear and concise UX copy
Clarity and brevity are two of the fundamental principles of UX writing. Your goal is to communicate necessary information quickly to reduce the cognitive load for the user. When you’re writing in English, this can be done pretty easily, but achieving this in multiple languages is not always straightforward.
Some languages, such as German or Russian, tend to require more characters than English. An issue you can experience because of this is text overflow in UI elements like buttons, tooltips, or navigation bars. But there are also languages, like Chinese or Japanese, that may use fewer characters but require adjustments for proper readability. So, as a localizer, you have to prioritize meaning while ensuring the text fits within the available space.
You probably noticed that English UX copy often omits subjects or uses imperative verbs for concision (like “Save file” instead of “You need to save the file”). Not all languages use imperatives in the same way, and if you try to force a direct translation, the message might feel unnatural or even rude. So as a UX writer for localization, it’s important to balance clarity and politeness in the target language while keeping things as concise as possible.
Maintain consistency in terminology and style
A major challenge in localization is maintaining consistency across different parts of a product. Users rely on familiar terminology to navigate interfaces, but varying translations of the same term can disrupt the experience.
Luckily, you can rely on predefined style guides and glossaries. These resources help standardize terms across buttons, error messages, notifications, and instructional text. Some UX writing best practices include:
- Using a Translation Memory (TM) tool to store and retrieve previously translated phrases for consistency.
- Creating a localized style guide that aligns with the brand’s voice and tone while accounting for cultural nuances.
- Conducting cross-checks with other localizers and UX writers to ensure consistency throughout the user journey.
Adapt the tone and voice
Every brand has a distinct voice, some professional while others more friendly or playful. Sometimes, that tone has to be adjusted. For example, a friendly tone in English may need to be adjusted for cultures where formality is preferred. And vice versa.
Some of the hardest elements to adapt are humor and wordplay. Many UX writers use witty, engaging copy to make experiences more enjoyable, but these often do not translate well. By no means should you attempt a direct translation—it would most likely result in failure. Instead, try to find an equivalent expression that maintains the brand’s personality while making sense to local users.
Navigate UI constraints
As a UX writer, you have to be mindful of not only linguistic accuracy but also consider technical and design constraints. Poorly adapted UX copy can break layouts, cause truncation, or make navigation unclear. Text expansion and contraction, right-to-left (RTL) languages, and variable placeholders are typically an UX writer’s major pain points.
Some languages require more space than others, so you need to be aware of any design limitations. In addition, RTL languages require a different layout structure, which impacts button placement, alignment, and the flow of navigation elements.
Many UX strings contain dynamic elements such as usernames, dates, or numbers. A common phrase like “Welcome, {user}!” needs to be structured differently in languages where the placeholder position has to be changed due to grammatical rules.
To catch potential problems early, many localization teams use pseudolocalization, a process where you add altered versions of the original language into the UI before finalizing the copy. It’s a great way to reduce the need for rework during localization.
Ask for context
A UX writer should not be afraid of asking for additional information. UX copy is not standalone text; it exists within a larger experience. As a localizer, you must consider how each phrase fits into the user’s journey.
The meaning of a word changes based on context. In a checkout process, “Continue” might mean proceeding to payment, while in a tutorial, it might mean advancing to the next step. If you don’t have access to context, you may end up choosing an incorrect translation that disrupts the user experience.
Wrapping up
When you’re a UX writer working in localization, you are tasked with making products feel like they were designed for each user, no matter their language or culture. Following UX writing best practices in localization means prioritizing clarity, consistency, and cultural nuance while keeping technical constraints in mind.
By collaborating with other members of the localization team (especially designers), maintaining a strong understanding of user flow, and continuously refining translations based on user feedback, you can create seamless and engaging experiences for users worldwide.