Lost in translation? Not anymore. What users in Kenya and Tanzania taught us about language and user experience
When language shapes experience
At Mantaray Africa, we've long believed that language is more than just a vehicle for information; it's a powerful lens through which participants understand and engage with technology.
That belief was front and centre in our collaboration with our UXalliance partners Bold Insight, where we explored how language influences participant experience in Kenya and Tanzania.
The findings from this study also contributed to the EPIC paper, Decolonising LLMs: An Ethnographic Framework for AI in African Contexts. This paper highlights how culture, language, and tone influence trust in AI-driven content.
The challenge
Beyond translation
For global products to succeed in emerging markets, localising content isn't enough. The real question is: Does the language feel intuitive, natural, and empowering to the user?
Real impact
Bold Insight approached us with a clear objective: evaluate the language quality and tone within a mobile app experience and understand how it shaped product usage, brand perception, and user trust.
What we wanted to uncover was not just about correctness in translation but connectedness in how participants relate to and emotionally respond to language when completing real tasks in an app.
Our research approach
Grounding language in context
Deep interviews
We ran 10 in-depth interviews per country (plus a pilot), speaking to participants in both Kenya and Tanzania.
Extended sessions
Each session lasted 90 minutes, giving us the depth we needed to explore language in context.
Real-time observation
We observed participants as they navigated the app in real time, not just asking questions but watching behaviour.
What we discovered
This method helped surface subtle but crucial language cues, tone mismatches, unclear terminology, or phrases that didn't align with local idioms. Importantly, these weren't just translation issues. These were cultural usability gaps.
Tanzania insights
In Tanzania, some Swahili phrases were technically correct, but felt too formal or ambiguous in a digital task flow.
Kenya insights
In Kenya, we noted preferences leaning towards more direct, conversational phrasing.
These distinctions may seem minor, but for participants, they can be the difference between trust and frustration.
Key takeaways
UX lives (and dies) in the details
Language is UX
If participants don't relate to your wording, the experience breaks, no matter how good your interface design is.
Tone matters
Participants were highly sensitive to tone, especially when it came to guidance, feedback, and error messaging. Friendly and helpful won over formal and robotic every time.
Local context is everything
A phrase that works in Nairobi might fall flat in Dar es Salaam. Testing language in context revealed what generic translation processes often miss.
Participants want to feel understood
Language isn't just about understanding the task; it's about being seen and respected in how you're spoken to.
Cultural nuances we uncovered
Formality levels
Tanzanian participants preferred less formal language in digital interactions, whilst maintaining respect. Overly formal Swahili felt disconnected from the mobile experience.
Conversational style
Kenyan participants responded positively to direct, conversational phrasing that felt natural and approachable in both English and Swahili contexts.
Local idioms
Success came from understanding not just literal translations, but how phrases fit within local communication patterns and cultural expectations.
Next steps
Designing for meaning, not just function
The insights from this study are already helping Bold Insight and their client fine-tune their localisation approach, not just translating but designing with language at the heart of the experience.
For us at Mantaray Africa, it reaffirmed the power of deep, contextual research in emerging markets. Language is layered, emotional, and alive, and it deserves just as much UX attention as any feature or screen.
Language deserves just as much UX attention as any feature or screen.
Let's keep the conversation going
Have you considered how your product sounds to users in different markets? We'd love to hear your thoughts on how language impacts user experience in your region.