Rung 4 · Internationalization

The Web Speaks Every Language. Does Your Page?

A lesson in empathy, delivered by Google Translate.

  1. ReadWorking With the Grain

    The guide: how in-browser translation works, the eight ways pages sabotage it, and the checklist.

  2. ExperienceThe broken store

    Looks fine in English. Translate it to German, then Arabic, and watch it fail in eight distinct, annoying ways. The sins are numbered in the source.

  3. CompareThe same store, fixed

    Same design, same features, honest HTML. Translate it and everything survives. Diff the source against the broken version.

  4. ConsiderOpting out, honestly

    If you truly don't want machine translation, the platform lets you refuse cleanly. This page is its own demo, and an accounting of what the refusal costs.