Types of UI in Games
Game interfaces are typically divided into two categories:Understanding the difference between these two types helps determine which parts require stricter linguistic and cultural adaptation and which can be handled with lighter translation strategies.
- Non-diegetic UI: Menus and interface elements that exist outside the game world, such as settings, save/load screens, leaderboards, and event entries.
- Diegetic UI: Elements that exist inside the game world, for example dialogue boxes, inventory screens, and character selection interfaces. Diegetic UI can take many forms depending on the game’s narrative and art style.
Seven Practical UI Localization Tips
1) Conduct market research to define the target audience and compliance boundaries
Different regions vary significantly in legal regulations, cultural taboos, and common symbols. Research should cover laws and policies that may affect content, sensitive topics, and local conventions for dates, times, and measurement units. Incorporating this information into the localization workflow helps prevent removals, regulatory issues, or player dissatisfaction caused by cultural conflicts.2) Allow for text expansion and design for scalable text
English menu phrases are often concise; translations into other languages (e.g., French, German) can be substantially longer. UI controls should be designed to scale dynamically, prioritizing readability over simply reducing font size. Practical rules include:
- Reserve roughly 30% extra space for possible text expansion.
- Prefer line wrapping (splitting into two lines) rather than reducing font size to maintain readability.
- For items with large length differences, consider hiding long text behind dropdowns or pop-ups.
- Check actual character length for the target language during translation and adjust layouts as needed.
3) Mirror the layout for RTL languages
For right-to-left (RTL) scripts such as Arabic and Hebrew, implement a full mirrored layout. This requires more than reversing text direction; menu placement, scroll direction, and navigation order should be inverted as well. Building an interface framework that supports left/right switching from the start will make RTL adaptation more natural and avoid large-scale rework later.4) Choose fonts that support multiple languages and ensure width consistency
Font selection should balance multilingual support and visual consistency. Prefer Unicode-compliant fonts that cover the character sets required by different scripts. Be mindful of default width and line-height differences across scripts; adjust letter spacing or text container padding when necessary. If multiple encodings are involved, validate length using bytes or character counts to improve accuracy.5) Display localized formats correctly (dates, times, currency, etc.)
Localized formatting is a key detail that affects player trust. Dates, times, and currency should follow the conventions of the target region — for example, the U.S. commonly uses month-day-year, while Japan typically uses year-month-day. These rules should be core to UI localization and driven automatically by regional settings.6) Use icons cautiously and test for recognizability
Icons should be used with care and tested for recognizability. Symbols do not carry universal meaning; icons common in one culture may be misunderstood in another. Keep universal icons where appropriate, but replace culturally specific symbols with neutral visuals or validate them through tests to confirm recognition and memorability.7) Always run localization testing: both multilingual design checks and local player tests
Completing translation and proofreading does not mean the job is finished. Localization testing should include two parts:Systematic categorization and tracking of issues (for example by severity and type) help teams organize fixes and verify changes efficiently.
- Design-level testing: Preview multilingual layouts in localization management tools or design files to ensure buttons, text fields, and prompts do not truncate or misalign in any language.
- User-level testing: Invite local players from the target market to playtest and provide feedback; they can identify cultural insensitivities, unnatural wording, or usability issues.
These practices help teams build more flexible UI frameworks and establish systematic localization workflows, so players in different regions can enjoy an authentic experience. When addressing localization and internationalization challenges, working with a professional partner is essential. Glodom provides consulting and execution support to help teams complete cultural adaptation and interface optimization. Contact us to learn more about our case studies and tailored solutions.
Original article: https://www.gridly.com/blog/game-ui-design-localization-best-practices
Source: Gridly
Image source: Gridly
Compiled by: Glodom (Shenzhen Xinyu Wisdom Technology Co., Ltd.)
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