In 2023, the industry generating global localisation services surpassed $67.9 billion, and with projections rising above $95 billion in 2028 (Nimdzi report), it has become clear that simple translation no longer satisfies modern markets. Behind each translated word, thorough considerations must be made to ensure the text and visuals feel like they belong to its new audience. Localisation as a practice has evolved from “we translate for you” to the more nuanced form of localisation as cultural co‑creation.
This prominent shift is becoming central to marketing operations. When a telco app in Africa substituted the “thumbs up” with a fish icon (because fishes hold a positive cultural meaning), it was not an arcane decision but a vital localisation choice. If something feels out of place, it doesn’t matter how accurate the words are. Small changes like this signal that businesses are outgrowing simple linguistic differences and are learning to respect cultural logic.
We are moving into an era where iconography, gesture, emotion, and even regulatory nuances demand equal attention. Let us explore areas that remain rarely discussed yet shape how products get meaningfully “localised.”
1. Spatial Logic Is Not Universal, Just Widely Assumed
Many assume that the same visual layout works across geographies and demographics. Gestures are not universal. In VR and AR prototypes, for example, some cultures naturally step back when prompted to “move forward”, while others lean in. A study in cultural heritage AR use conducted by MIT confirmed that nonverbal cues and body language elements such as gestures, spatial orientation, and proxemics deeply affect how authentic immersive content feels. These differences matter because they reflect lived familiarity. Cultural input has become core to usability considerations for immersive designers.
2. Your Voice Assistant Has an Accent and a Mood
Voice assistants have grown swiftly. It’s estimated that by the end of 2025, over 30% of all tech-interface interactions will be voice-based. Humans sense tone along with words. It has been observed during pilot projects in voice localisation that culturally informed focus groups highly emphasise emotional tone alignment. Localisation firms also report that AI-generated scripts need emotional auditing, a concept that did not exist a few years ago. There is growing focus on designing speech that sounds “right” locally.
3. Languages You’ve Never Heard of Are Your Next Market
Only a few hundred languages appear in mainstream digital tools, when there are in fact thousands of living languages. We are observing a rise in initiatives to build LLMs for regional languages, endeavouring to capture contextual idioms, humour, and even local speech registers. Effective localisation in this context is sentimental for some users, but from a business perspective it is both strategic and just. Language equity begins with respectful representation, and in turn also unlocks previously neglected markets.
4. Avatars Also Need to Mind Their Manners
AR and VR were niche not very long ago. Today they have become mainstream in tourism, museums, e-learning, etc. A fully immersive localisation requires attention to cultural spatial norms, gesture design, and even avatar representation. Polite head tilts in Japan versus a nod in India mean different things, and this subtlety can be the difference between respect and confusion. Cultural strategists work alongside UX architects and 3D modelers to develop what are called “gesture lexicons”: mini-style cultural guides for movement in interactive environments.
5. Screen Readers Can’t Guess Social Norms (Yet)
Digital accessibility extends beyond visual or motor impairments. They now include communication norms. Direct eye contact can be seen as intrusive in some cultures and polite in others. Screen readers and avatars must accordingly adapt tone, imagery, and pacing. Imagine a screen reader addressing elders in rural India: it may require a respectful pitch and pauses that can feel artificial in other regions but seem natural locally. Accessibility, therefore, must now be “culturally aware”.
6. Your Campaign Has a Passport: How To Use It
Localisation has become part of nascent brand curation and is no longer seen as reactive. Words, visuals, and metaphors all convey identity. When an international beauty brand launched in India, they avoided metaphors around “wheat fields” (romantic in Europe but irrelevant here) and opted for “monsoon bloom.” Cultural consultancy is what drove this marketing decision, targeting maximum local resonance. Some brands today hire ethnographers to attend national festivals, record local songs, and study colour palettes to calibrate ad strategies. Localisation is now a year-round “cultural stewardship”, not a one-time project.
7. What’s Legal in One Country Can Be Taboo in Another
Every market brings rules around imagery, content, and data privacy. Something that facilitates data collection in one place may seem suspicious elsewhere. Localisation teams must now have a dual lens view to work with local laws and cultural meaning simultaneously. Global firms are creating regulatory-cultural review boards to ensure that content alignment is legal as well as culturally coherent.
The Rise of Cultural Co‑Creators
Localisation is revealing its true evolution: from syntax to cultural belonging. Every design decision has become an invitation to belong. The future of localisation lies in listening, understanding, and shaping environments where global users feel seen. It is an empathy-driven market advantage and an inclusive design imperative.
July 10, 2025 — magnon