Localization: Slack Case

Cultural factors and values ​​that drive us in translating Slack into various languages

This article can be read in French , German , Spanish and Japanese .

2017 was a year of localization for us: we increased the number of languages ​​supported from one to five. We now provide support in English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish for several key products, including the help center, the main website, and, of course, the application itself. We are going to further expand the localization, and so today I would like to talk about the factors we take into account when translating, touch on cultural differences in formality and style, and talk about the basic values ​​of Slack, which we adhere to, expanding our presence in various countries .

Transferred to Alconost


Illustration by Samantha Mash

Localization department

In the Slak localization department, there are four full-time linguists, one project manager, and I am a localization manager. In addition, we work with a great team of freelance translators.

Importance of localization

Localization allows you to communicate with customers in a language they understand, with familiar cultural references, which builds trust.

We knew that for successful localization, we need to adapt Slak's texts to other cultures. Most of the localization is the translation itself, but there are other factors that need to be taken into account: our users in different countries of the world have grown up with certain customs and a certain worldview. Building trusting relationships with users, we pay close attention to the jokes we use and references to familiar language turns.

Determinants of localization

Slak's task is to facilitate the work, to make it more pleasant and productive. And in order to fulfill this task, the localization department focuses on four core values: politeness, professionalism, understanding and sense of humor — which guide us in making decisions on changing Slak’s presentation style, level of formality, and whether to leave something without translation.

Politeness and understanding in localization means respecting the cultural expectations and preferences of users from all over the world. In the Japanese localization, this means that we appeal to them with respect, but without courtesy - we do not go too far. We want users from Japan to interact with our products and feel that they are talking to a willing colleague.


In Japanese, the phrase “Great job! Your tired eyes will be useful to look at the landscape "reflects the necessary - not excessive - the level of politeness.

While working on the German translation, we leave out some English words, since many of them naturally entered everyday German vocabulary.


“Workspace-Management” is an example of borrowed English terminology in German.

In determining the level of formality, we also consider which user groups should be covered. Our audience is people of different generations, with different experiences and working in different conditions. Therefore, we need to take into account user expectations and remain true to the style of Slack. The choice between formal and informal addressing in certain languages ​​(for example, vous in French, but du in German and tú in Spanish) allows us to keep Slak’s original style and at the same time maintain polite communication in an understandable language in the way our users are used to. nor have been.

A key component of Slak's style is professionalism, which allows you to contact users in a human way. Often this is achieved with the help of jokes - they just became the most difficult element of localization. You may have noticed the joking notes in the download messages, in the “All Unreads” section and in the release notes. While Slak is loading, the user sees the phrase You look nice today (“Look good today”), and in English it is quite nice, but if you translate this phrase into other languages ​​literally, the joke will be lost, and the message will most likely be completely different.


The English “Look good today” in French translation becomes “We are happy to help you.”

Or, for example, the message that we show when the user has viewed everything in the “All Unread” section: You're all caught up. Here's a pony ("You've read everything. Here's a glass for you"). Such a phrase looks great in English, but there is little sense in Spanish or French. Therefore, in Spanish instead of ponies - candy as a gift: Has leído todo. Aquí tienes un caramelo de regalo .



And in French, we offer to relax, show Emoji “island” and say: Vous pouvez vous la couler douce!

Slak's tasks and company values ​​are very important for our department, because they helped to lay the foundation for creating high-quality localization and gave a guideline in choosing the level of formality, style and manner of communication, as well as user reach. We believe that a well-localized product simplifies communication with users and helps them in their work, wherever they are in the world. And we still have a lot of work ahead, because we continue to develop.

About the translator

The article is translated in Alconost.

Alconost is engaged in the localization of games , applications and websites in 70 languages. Language translators, linguistic testing, cloud platform with API, continuous localization, 24/7 project managers, any formats of string resources.

We also make advertising and training videos - for websites selling, image, advertising, training, teasers, expliners, trailers for Google Play and the App Store.