A content strategist at Google, Jon Ann Lindsey and her team traveled to eleven countries, meeting with users about translation issues. By talking with language experts, such as journalists, copy writers, and bloggers, they were able to identify translation problems from the perspective of readability, voice and tone, and comprehension, as well as obtain a colloquial point of view.

1. It’s Amazing What You Can Learn
When You Actually Listen to Customers
Jon Ann Lindsey, Google Consumer Help Centers

2. Source: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Duis non erat sem
Proprietary + Confidential
Or…
Good intentions are not
sufficient to solve
our problems.
Social worker
Mary Parker Follett,
looking stern

4. The emperor penguin: Curious and charming.
*Hobbies include photography

5. Slide title
26pt Roboto
Dark Grey 3
Text
12pt Roboto
Dark Grey 3
Proprietary + Confidential
I know,
right?

6. Appealing in its
playfulness?
Not even a little.

7. Source: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Duis non erat sem
Proprietary + Confidential
It’s not appropriate for Help,
where the user is having
difficulties.
Japanese reviewer
“
”
@EditorJA #LavaCon

8. Proprietary + Confidential
5,000 articles
in
65 Help centers
translated into
44 languages
@EditorJA #LavaCon

9. Universities! Language institutes! They’re smart.

10. Proprietary + Confidential
1. Brazil
2. Dubai
3. France
4. Germany
5. Indonesia
6. Italy
7. Japan
8. Mexico
9. Russia
10. Spain
11. Thailand
Away we went!
@EditorJA #LavaCon

15. Proprietary + Confidential
You can say that again

16. Proprietary + Confidential
That’s the thing about the NDA, is
that the NDA is actually covered
by the NDA.
So if I told you about the NDA, it
would’ve been a violation of the
NDA.
Big Head, “Silicon Valley”
“
” @EditorJA #LavaCon

17. Proprietary + Confidential
@EditorJA #LavaCon

18. Proprietary + Confidential
Up is down, down is up,
black is white

19. Hello, Val

20. Proprietary + Confidential
This is a very bad
attitude. A very
American approach.
“
”
@EditorJA #LavaCon

21. Dear Google User,

22. Proprietary + Confidential
We want a more
personal greeting.“ ”
@EditorJA #LavaCon

23. Proprietary + Confidential
Reassurances
Don’t worry, none of your data has been lost. It’s
just in a new place.
@EditorJA #LavaCon

24. Proprietary + Confidential
‘Don’t worry,’
sounds strange, like
out of the blue.
It makes you
anxious.
“
”
@EditorJA #LavaCon

25. Proprietary + Confidential
I wasn’t worried
until you said, ‘Don’t
worry.’
“
”
@EditorJA #LavaCon

26. Proprietary + Confidential
It’s an invasion of
personal space to
assume to
know about my
feelings.
“
”
@EditorJA #LavaCon

27. Proprietary + Confidential
@EditorJA #LavaCon

28. Proprietary + Confidential
Just a first name
and an icon seems
like a made-up
person.
“
”
@EditorJA #LavaCon

29. Best regards,
Roland

30. Proprietary + Confidential
Emails are clearly
automated, so why
pretend there’s
‘Roland?’
“
”
@EditorJA #LavaCon

31. Proprietary + Confidential
Didn’t see that coming

32. Proprietary + Confidential
Remember that Google will never ask for your
password.
@EditorJA #lavaCon

33. Proprietary + Confidential
‘Remember that’ is
wording we all associate
with Soviet propaganda.
It has no role to play in
modern communications.
“
”
@EditorJA #LavaCon

34. Proprietary + Confidential
It reeks of our Soviet
heritage. We all
remember those posters.
“
”
@EditorJA #LavaCon

35. Proprietary + Confidential
We’ve been schooled

36. Proprietary + Confidential
NO.

37. Proprietary + Confidential
Thank you!
Jon Ann Lindsey
@EditorJA
jonann@google.com