Language Is Part of the Design Craft

Would I hire a designer who doesn’t speak the language of the product’s main market? Nope. Not even for great coffee and a killer portfolio. If you're designing for people who speak a certain language – you should speak it too. That’s true anywhere. And in Germany, that language is… well, German.

Don’t get me wrong: this isn’t about flawless grammar or quoting Heinz Erhardt. It’s about understanding the people you’re designing for – and contributing fully.

Sure, in the Berlin bubble everything works in English. But most products in Germany aren’t built for Berlin. They’re built for people in places like Künzelsau (yes, with that "Ü"-letter), Minden – or Wiehl, the small town I come from. These aren’t just dots on the map – they’re pillars of Germany’s Mittelstand: family-owned companies, world-class engineering, deep cultural roots – and daily business conducted in German.

Here’s why language matters: – Copy & microcopy: You don’t need to write poetry. But buttons have limits – and messages need to land. – User research: You want to really hear what users say – not the watered-down, translated version. Or even worse, an AI summary. – Regulation stuff: Especially in sectors like insurance (hi from my world), the key documents are in German. Punkt. – Stakeholder talks: In the Mittelstand, the CEO might speak English. The person who signs off your feature? Chances are – not really. – Local context = better product: Teams can work in any language internally – but if your product lives in a specific cultural and linguistic environment, you’ll build better when you truly understand that world.

In short: language is part of the craft. Just like knowing your way around Figma, understanding WCAG – or having a feel for color. If your work relies on words – and it does – you need to work with the real thing, not just translated placeholders.

So, if you're designing for a specific market: learn the language. Not because it’s a gatekeeper thing. But because it helps you do better work, connect with people – and not panic when someone says “Knopftext”. And hey – if I survived the cultural shock of moving from Wiehl to Berlin, you’ll survive the Dativ. 😅

I really had some great chats about this a few weeks ago at UXcamp Europe and afterwards – thanks for the exchange, Stefanie Bluhm, Aleksandra Skurczyńska, Peter Boersma, Sascha Mahlke, Stefan Freimark.

Originally posted on LinkedIn.