Short description

Use language selectors to give the user the possibility to view the pages in another language. The selector might be a separate element or a part of an element, notably the user profile.

When and how to use it

Use language selectors when it is possible to choose more than one language of the content in a complete shell or service.

Use the foreign name of each language. For instance, show the choice Svenska on pages in English and the choice English on pages in Swedish. Show the full name of the language, not initials only.

Avoid using flags to represent languages since flags represent countries, or parts of countries. And languages and countries do not have a one-to-one relationship. A language is spoken in multiple countries, and a country can have multiple official languages. Furthermore, language can be very personal and be a big part of people’s cultures.

Behaviour

Desktop

The language selector should be placed in the menu presented when clicking the profile name of the user.

Mobile

The mobile view has a somewhat different layout compared to desktop and tablet. The username will not be presented until the user clicks the profile object with icon and the text Profile.

Do's and don'ts

• Use the full foreign name of the language.

• Never use flags in language selectors.

Specification

States