Tokyo is a marvelous city. I’ve always known it for its innovative technology, extraordinary fashion and remarkable food. But I went to Japan without knowing a stitch of the local language.
My transnational identity and lingual minority status in Japan at some times was difficult but certainly helped me gain mountains of design empathy for billions of people online who don't speak English.
Though English is the defacto language online, a dominant language creates cultural, social and economic barriers for billions of people in the world looking to produce and consume great content online. Struggling to order local meals, ask for directions or even read a train schedule helped me empathize with people who deserve access to content in a language they understand.
I’m happy to share a few of my toungue tied experiences that are helping me design at myGengo. Are you misplaced in translation? Share your story in the comments!
Mindful translation
I spent a weekend in a tourist hot spot, Hakone. I booked my room at the Japanese Inn, called a ryokan, online. Their website was entirely redesigned and translated into English. Their directions online said to exit the train and look for signs with walking directions. “Great!” I thought. “How tourist friendly.”
Wrong! Those directions must have been written in Japanese and translated into English because all the signs were written in Japanese. I hopped off my train and traipsed up and down hills searching for the hidden zen spa. I eventually found my map, friendly locals and my mediation space.
Iconography
Thankfully, Japanese design is especially visual and iconographic. Often intstructions include small pictures and icons which is helpful for people across economic, linguistic, age and cultural groups.
At this shrine in Tokyo, I knew exactly what this small fountain was for and how I could use it without understanding one word. When designing a site for a global audience, cues like this can go a long way.
I also got a lot of questions about this...ahem...fountain... 
Form and function
Some design, and often great design, doesn’t require any directions at all. This ice cream cone wrapper was not like anything I had seen before but completely self explanatory. The design was smart, creative, easy to dispose and kept my hands clean and my tummy happy.
Typography
In design, we think a lot about how text is designed. The spacing of letters, their shapes, their form, the flow, the readability, the color, the size, all of it. But the game changes when you need to start thinking about Japanese, Arabic, Hebrew, Chinese and other languages I know little about. The only thing I could undersand on this package was the URL and the tiny graphic at the bottom left that essentially reads ‘chocolate bar leads to happiness’.
Spoken Word
I’ve found that in most places in the world, if you make the effort to speak and understand the local language, people will try to help. By the end of my trip, I was able to say, “I need your help. I don’t speak Japanese, I’d like something to eat but do not like fish.” Baby steps!
I’ve since left Japan and am now working from Silicon Valley in California. I’m designing among smart, creative techies reflecting on what I learned about language, communication and design. I think a lot about all the people at myGengo and around the city who helped me enjoy Tokyo despite the language barrier we work to knock down every day.
