Internationalizing the user
interface
When you build an application for international deployment, there
are two user interface design issues you should consider:
-
The physical design of the user interface
-
The cultural standards of your application’s audience
Physical design
The physical design of the user interface should include:
-
Windows and objects with the flexibility to accommodate expanded
string lengths required when the text in menu items, lists, and labels
is translatedFor example, you could inherit a window from an English language
ancestor window, and change the language for a localized deployment.
Generally, you can accommodate the text for most languages if you
allow for a menu item, list, or label size that is 1.3 times the
length of an English text string. -
Windows that can be easily used in RightToLeft versions of
Windows
Cultural awareness
The cultural design of your user interface requires you to be
cognizant of what is and is not acceptable or meaningful to your
audience.
For example, an icon of a hand displaying an open palm might mean
stop in one culture but indicate an unacceptable gesture in another.
Similarly, although the color yellow signifies caution in some cultures,
in other cultures it signifies happiness and prosperity.