Check demand before translating your whole app
A large retail company entered a new market and decided to translate its full website and app into local languages. Leaders expected the product to feel more local, more friendly, and more likely to attract users. The language was hard to translate into, and the work took about three months and about half a million dollars.
Real usage was far below expectations. The local-language version did not even reach single-digit usage, and many people went back to English because the English app felt easier to use. The project was later dropped quietly.
The core mistake was not checking whether users actually wanted the local-language version before making a large bet. Even big companies with people assigned to judge whether make sense can miss this, while s and small teams have even less room to absorb that kind of mistake.
Key points
- The full website and app translation took about three months and about $500,000.
- The local-language version did not reach single-digit usage.
- Many users returned to English because it felt easier to use.
- The project was based on an assumption, not confirmed demand.
- s should cheaply before to a large feature.