Translating My Personal Site to English: Navigation and Cultural Fit

TL;DR

I translated my personal site to English and ran into a problem: a literal navigation “Я → Делаю → Проекты → Как → Надо” doesn’t work. I had to rethink the structure entirely: Me → Craft → Work → Way → Right. This post is about the process, decisions, and cultural differences in UX.

Why Translate at All

The Russian site works well locally. But:

1. International work — be available to English‑speaking clients and partners.
2. Portfolio — much of the industry speaks English.
3. Experience — try real‑world localization on my own product.

I added an English version, kept Russian as default. Next.js 15 + middleware for /en/... prefix routing.

First Problem: Navigation Doesn’t Translate

My Russian navigation:

Я → Делаю → Проекты → Как → Надо

It’s a wordplay: you can read it as a sentence — “I do projects the right way” — or as five sections. In English?

Attempt #1: Literal Translation

I → Do → Projects → How → Need

Reads like machine translation. “I Do Projects How Need” — nonsense.

Attempt #2: Meaningful but Generic

About → Work → Projects → Process → Contact

Works, but loses the identity. Becomes a template.

Solution: Rethink the Structure

What do I actually want to say?

• Я — who I am, my skills
• Делаю — what I create, how I build
• Проекты — case studies, portfolio
• Как — processes, methods
• Надо — contact, start working

English should deliver the same user journey, with natural words.

Final Version

Me → Craft → Work → Way → Right

Why it works:

1. Me — about me (skills, experience, expertise)
2. Craft — what I build, approach to the craft
3. Work — portfolio and case studies
4. Way — how I work: process and methodology
5. Right — get in touch, start working (do it right)

You can read it as a sentence: “Me Craft Work Way Right.” Slightly poetic, but meaningful — and uniquely mine.

Cultural and Language Pitfalls I Hit

1. Directness vs. implicature. Russian tolerates clever implicit slogans; English often prefers explicit clarity.
2. Wordplay. Russian pun survives translation rarely. Better to keep rhythm and function than literal words.
3. Section expectations. “About/Work/Contact” are defaults. Breaking expectations is fine if clarity survives.
4. Tone. Humor/sarcasm translate poorly; keep the smile, trim the edge.

My Practical Rules for i18n in Product Copy

1. Translate the intent, not words.
2. Keep path consistency between languages; let names differ.
3. Validate with native speakers; a 10‑minute review saves weeks.
4. Test copy in UI — real pixels catch ambiguities.
5. Technical i18n in Next.js 15 is straightforward — middleware + dictionaries + SSG does most.

Outcomes

Localization turned out more interesting than expected. I started with a technical task and finished with new navigation and structure.

If you’re translating your site — don’t be afraid to change the concept. What matters is a clear user path and why it matters now.

Technical Details

For those who want to ship something similar:

Stack

• Next.js 15 (App Router)
• TypeScript
• Middleware for routing
• SSG for all pages

Key Files

middleware.ts              # Language detection
src/shared/config/i18n.ts  # Locale config
src/shared/config/locales/ # Translation dictionaries
src/shared/lib/i18n/       # i18n utilities

Handy Functions

Localization of paths:

export function localizePath(path: string, locale: Locale): string {
  if (locale === defaultLocale) return path;
  return `/${locale}${path}`;
}

Dictionary loader:

export async function getDictionary(locale: Locale) {
  return (await import(`@/shared/config/locales/${locale}`)).default;
}

If you have questions or want to discuss localization approaches — ping me on Telegram or email.