When businesses prepare content for a new market, translation is usually the first thing they think about. The words need to be accurate, clear and natural in the target language.
But words are only part of the experience.
A website, brochure, app, e-learning course or advertising campaign also speaks through images. Photos, icons, diagrams, screenshots, banners, infographics and product visuals all carry meaning. Sometimes that meaning is obvious. Sometimes it is cultural. Sometimes it is hidden in the small details: a hand gesture, a colour, a currency symbol, a person’s clothing, a street sign, a date format or a piece of text embedded inside an image.
That is where image localisation comes in.
Image localisation is the process of adapting visual content so that it feels clear, natural and appropriate for the audience in a specific country, region or language. It may involve translating text inside an image, changing the layout of a graphic, replacing a photograph, adapting icons, checking colours and symbols, or redesigning visual assets so they work properly in the target market.
In simple terms, image localisation helps make sure your visuals say what you think they are saying.
Why image localisation matters
A translated website can still feel foreign if the visuals have not been adapted.
Imagine a company translates its homepage into Japanese, Arabic or Korean, but the main banner still contains English text. Or an e-commerce brand launches in a new region, but its product images show the wrong currency, unfamiliar measurements or lifestyle photography that does not reflect the local audience.
The result may not be disastrous, but it creates friction. The user notices that something feels off. They may understand the words, but the overall experience does not feel made for them.
For international brands, that matters. Localisation is not only about comprehension. It is about trust.
When visuals are adapted well, the content feels more familiar, more relevant and easier to use. When they are ignored, even high-quality translation can feel unfinished.
What parts of an image may need localisation?
Image localisation can involve more than simply translating visible text. Depending on the project, it may include:
- text embedded in banners, buttons, screenshots, diagrams or infographics
- currencies, prices, units of measurement and date formats
- icons, symbols and interface elements
- colours with specific cultural or brand associations
- people, clothing, gestures and social settings
- maps, flags, street signs or location-specific references
- product packaging, labels or regulatory information
- screenshots from software, apps or websites
- layout changes for languages that expand, contract or read in a different direction
Some images may not need to change at all. Others may need small edits. In some cases, the safest option is to recreate the image entirely for the target market.
The right approach depends on the audience, the industry, the purpose of the content and the level of risk involved.
Cultural factors in image localisation
Visuals are not universal.
A colour that feels positive in one culture may carry a different association somewhere else. A hand gesture that seems friendly in one country may be rude or confusing in another. A stock photo that looks natural to one audience may feel staged, irrelevant or inappropriate to another.
This is especially important in sectors such as healthcare, finance, education, public information, travel, retail and advertising, where visuals influence trust and behaviour.
Common cultural elements to review include:
- gestures and body language
- clothing and modesty expectations
- family, gender and workplace roles
- religious or cultural symbols
- animals, food and drink
- colours and emotional associations
- humour, metaphors and visual idioms
- depictions of authority, safety or risk
The goal is not to remove all local character from your visuals. In fact, good localisation often does the opposite. It helps content feel more specific, more human and more relevant to the people it is trying to reach.
Functional factors in image localisation
Some image localisation issues are less cultural and more practical.
A graphic may include a date written in the wrong format. A product image may show imperial measurements for a market that expects metric units. A software screenshot may contain English menu labels even though the surrounding page has been translated. A diagram may read from left to right when the target audience reads from right to left.
These details can affect usability.
Functional image localisation may include adapting:
- date and time formats
- numbers and decimal separators
- currencies and price displays
- units of measurement
- phone numbers and addresses
- legal or compliance information
- UI screenshots
- arrows, sequence diagrams and reading order
- file layouts for right-to-left or vertical scripts
This is where linguistic, design and technical teams often need to work together. The translated text must be accurate, but it also needs to fit inside the design and work in context.
Where image localisation is especially important
Image localisation can be useful in almost any international project, but it is especially important for content that users rely on visually.
Websites and landing pages
Hero banners, service graphics, icons and call-to-action images should support the localised message, not clash with it. A website may be translated correctly, but if the visual experience still feels tied to the original market, the page can feel incomplete.
E-commerce
Product images, size guides, packaging visuals, comparison charts and promotional banners often contain practical information. If that information is not adapted, customers may hesitate or misunderstand what they are buying.
Software and apps
Screenshots, onboarding graphics, UI illustrations and help-centre images need to match the language and experience of the product. Otherwise, users may see one thing in the guide and another inside the actual interface.
E-learning and training materials
Training content often relies on diagrams, scenarios, icons and process visuals. If these are culturally unclear or functionally wrong, learners may miss the point, even when the translated text is accurate.
Marketing and advertising
Campaign visuals carry emotion. They need to feel persuasive, not simply understandable. This is where image localisation often overlaps with transcreation, especially when a campaign idea needs to be adapted rather than translated directly.
Common image localisation mistakes
One common mistake is leaving English text inside images after the rest of the page has been translated. This is easy to miss, especially when text is flattened into a graphic rather than stored as editable copy.
Another is assuming that stock imagery will work everywhere. A generic business meeting, family scene or healthcare image may seem neutral, but audiences often notice when the people, setting or behaviour do not reflect their market.
A third mistake is treating image localisation as a final design task rather than part of the localisation process. If designers, translators and reviewers work separately, problems are more likely to appear late in the project, when they are harder and more expensive to fix.
The best results usually come from reviewing visual content early.
How to approach image localisation
A practical image localisation process usually starts with an audit.
Before translation begins, list the visual assets that may need attention: website banners, diagrams, screenshots, product images, PDFs, social graphics, training slides and any files where text is embedded in the design.
Then decide which images can stay, which need minor editing and which should be recreated for the target market.
For each image, check:
- Is there text inside the image?
- Does the translated text fit the available space?
- Are the colours, symbols and gestures appropriate?
- Are the people, products and settings relevant to the audience?
- Are dates, currencies, measurements and formats correct?
- Does the reading direction still make sense?
- Does the image support the localised message?
This does not always require a large redesign. Sometimes a small change makes the difference between content that feels foreign and content that feels natural.
How Asian Absolute can help
Asian Absolute supports localisation projects where language, design and cultural context all need to work together.
Our teams work with websites, documents, e-learning content, software, marketing materials, graphics and publication-ready files. Depending on the project, we can help with translation, localisation review, desktop publishing, typesetting, multilingual QA and advice on adapting visual content for specific markets.
This is especially important for Asian, Middle Eastern and European languages where layout, text expansion, reading direction and cultural context can all affect the final result.
If your project includes images, diagrams, screenshots or designed files, it is worth reviewing them before launch, not after the translated content has already gone live.
Need help preparing visual content for international audiences? Speak to Asian Absolute about your next localisation project.
FAQ
What is image localisation?
Image localisation is the process of adapting visual content for a specific language, country or culture. It can include translating text inside images, changing symbols or colours, adapting screenshots, adjusting layouts and replacing visuals that may not work for the target audience.
Is image localisation the same as translating text in images?
Not exactly. Translating text inside images is part of image localisation, but the process can go further. It may also involve cultural review, design changes, layout adjustments and replacing visual elements that could confuse or alienate the audience.
When should images be localised?
Images should be reviewed whenever they contain text, cultural references, people, gestures, symbols, currencies, measurements, dates, UI screenshots or market-specific details. This is especially important for websites, apps, e-learning, e-commerce and marketing campaigns.
Do all images need to be changed for every market?
No. Some images are neutral and can be used across different markets. Others may only need small edits. The important thing is to review them deliberately rather than assuming they will work everywhere.
Who should be involved in image localisation?
The best process often involves translators, local-market reviewers, designers and localisation project managers. For more complex projects, desktop publishing or software localisation specialists may also be needed.