Internationalizing a website or app ensures it can be adapted to various languages and regions without engineering changes. It’s a complex challenge that includes translation and considering cultural characteristics and differences.
Successful internationalization creates experiences that are equally usable, relevant, and meaningful across the globe and allows users that speak different languages or live in different countries to use our products successfully.
The following design, content, and code recommendations will help you design and build our products for global users.
Internationalization at Okta
Okta supports 27 languages. But not all products or features are immediately available in all languages. For example, as of June 2023, Okta Workflows and Governance Engine are only available in English. To learn more, see our supported display languages.
While we aim to build one experience that works for all users in all of our markets, if an element or experience doesn’t work in a market, we localize it. For example, we use a checkmark icon to support success in North American and European markets. But, in Japan, a checkmark signifies an error. So, an alternative, appropriate icon should be used.
Requesting translation
At a high level, translation consists of four steps:
- Translation request
- Vendor translation
- Translation pull
- Merge translations
These steps have a monthly cadence. Learn more about the steps in the monthly guideline.
Each month, the globalization team releases translations for the monolith, Admin UI, and Okta Verify - Windows/Mac/iOS/Android. See the Translation calendar
If you need to request new translations, start the discussion on #eng-globalization-core.
Have questions or need support?
Oktanauts can use the following resources when building with Odyssey:
- Check the Odyssey 1.0 FAQs.
- Join #odyssey in Slack to ask questions and stay up to date about the design system.
- Attend Odyssey Office Hours on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1-1:30 p.m. PT / 4-4:30 p.m. ET.
- Submit bug reports and feature requests to the Odyssey Jira board.