Why does Google search redirect your language based on location?

[Isamu]

@Nava

I think Ale was suggesting that Google should read device language settings, not that users should. Given that all kinds of installations programs are perfectly capable of doing that in all kinds of computing environments, I don’t see how it would be impossible for Google.

Ah, yes, Sorry Ale.

I think a resaonable approach would be to just search for what was typed in to the search box.

If I type “apple” search for “apple”

If I type "りんご"search for “りんご”

If you want to know what a French word means in English search for “What is bonsoir in English”.

[Isamu]

@Terminus_Est

Google wants you to set up a Google account, the better to track your habits. But the account will also let you set your preferences, including language settings, across multiple apps and multiple devices. Of course, you still have to log in to your Google account, but hopefully you’ll only need to do this once per device.

Nope. Good guess though. I am logged in to google. On the search app it has my name in the corner. My preferences for that email address account have been set the way I like them and work fine on my laptop (windows + Firefox), but do not work at all on the android, using Google’s own search software with me logged in.

[septimus]

@LSLGuy

Remember, they are NOT a public utility; they are an advertising vendor.

All their decisions are made on the basis of what they think will deliver the “best” (ie most click-prone) advertising results to their users.

This is the usual stock answer, but I doubt it is appropriate in context.

Google wants us to click. Google does NOT want users to switch to another search engine (or “invent their own” :eek: – really, Shagnasty ?). The idea that Google gets more profit when a Frenchman in Japan is presented with Japanese language results is … [checks forum] … odd.

Now Google has its priorities, and low-budget backpackers (most likely to frequent Internet cafes in foreign countries?) may be very low priority. But, given Google’s programming manpower, providing a simple facility to affect the language shouldn’t be hard.

Even the domain names cause confusion. When I was a frequent visitor to Internet cafes in Thailand, I found that google.com would sometimes present Thai while google.co.th presented English ! More often, both were in Thai. Sometimes the option (press here for English) would be missing. google.co.uk would sometimes take me back to google.com and Thai. Often I would use google.fr, though its interface was slightly different than google.com – I couldn’t edit URL’s in the obvious way.

We all understand Google’s goal is profit. The argument is that Google’s proifits would increase if it presented a more usable interface.

[Gymnopithys]

@robert_columbia

How does Google handle language in heavily multilingual areas?

E.g. if you are in Switzerland, does it try to detect what canton you are in and assign you whichever of the four official languages is most common there, or does it ask? If you live in a primarily German-speaking area but you want your results in French, is it easy to get it?

How about other countries? Does Google try to predict (“guess”) whether users in Finland are Finnish or Swedish speakers based on some algorithm?

Google

(that URL is for French. I live in the French speaking part)

“Le domaine Google.ch est disponible en : Deutsch English italiano Rumantsch”

I suppose if I want the results in Italian I would have to set my preference to “Italiano”.