When user research goes global
Global products succeed when UX research captures local nuances alongside business goals.
Localization can be defined in a number of ways, but at Spotify we think about it as the process of adapting our product and content so it feels local to each listener. 
Melia WagnerProduct Localization Manager @ Spotify
Skip localization → insights lose context → risk shipping features that feel irrelevant or even unusable in key markets.
Ethnio enables inclusive, scalable research across borders. From outreach to payout, solo UXRs or full ReOps teams get the operational precision to design participant experiences that respect local nuance and ship products with global impact.
Localization & translations across every research module
Scaling globally means balancing cultural context with evolving data legislation. We got you covered at every stage of participant recruitment and management:
Run studies in 47+ languages and all major currencies. 🌍
Filter participants by country and track quotas to ensure global coverage aligns with business KPIs. 📊
Scale up to 10M participants — unlimited panel size and interviews. 👥
Use AI-assisted translations (DeepL, Amazon, ChatGPT) with human verification. 🧠
Provision translator seats via SSO, synced across invites, reminders, consent forms, and incentives. 🔐
Integrate with Qualtrics, Snowflake, APIs, and more — all screening, surveys, scheduling, consent, and tagging workflows in one place.🔗
Manage multi-language outreach, region-specific incentives, and compliance — all before hitting “send” on your next screener. 🌐
Ethnio stood out by letting us intercept real users mid-flow and manage multiple languages natively, delivering the flexibility and scale our global teams demand.
Ania KaliskaResearchOps Project Manager @ OLX
What this means for your ReOps workflow
Beyond cultural nuance lies operational complexity — hiring translators, managing incentives, juggling time zones, securing facilities, and finding reliable participants.
Oh my. OLX felt the same. Serving tens of millions across 9 countries and 9 brands, moving from agency chaos to agile, localized recruitment was non-negotiable.
Here’s how their workflow could be yours:
Using Ethnio Web Intercepts, OLX’s lean ReOps team reached users in Polish, Portuguese, Ukrainian, Romanian, English, and more — all from one secure, centralized platform with real-time updates and full visibility into global participant panels. The results:
189 completed participants — faster, higher-quality recruitment
2M+ monthly intercept pageviews — broad top-of-funnel reach
130K+ localized emails sent — strong engagement and panel health
$11K+ tailored incentives — efficient, compliant reward delivery
How they did it (and you can too):
Intercepts & Screeners: Translate into Polish, Portuguese, Ukrainian, Romanian, and more — to recruit the right participants who actually fit your study.
Scheduling & Communication: Send native-language invitations and reminders. Tailor messaging to match brand voice and local norms.
Centralized Dashboard & Operational Precision: All translations, incentives, and compliance workflows in one platform. Bye-bye tab-juggling chaos.
Panels that slash recruitment time: segmented by language, brand, and user type. These panels auto-update from intercepts and Google Sheets automations set up, keeping quality high and outreach agile.
Read the full OLX customer story 👇
Supporting every type of research study
Whether it’s a beta test in Bucharest or a diary study in Lisbon, Ethnio supports all research needs:
1:1 Interviews
Surveys
Diary Studies
Continuous Panels
Beta Testing
Scale without losing local nuance
Translation changes what you say.
Localization changes how it’s understood.
Localization means adapting products to a specific country or region. It is not just translating content into different languages. It’s considering cultural context and how that might impact the product experience. It builds trust with users, which has long-term benefits for the business.
Rotem Maor Senior Product Designer @ monday.com, former Product Designer @ Wix
Every region brings its own social cues, etiquette, and expectations that shape how participants respond, share feedback, and interpret your study questions.
A “thumbs up” in Greece doesn’t mean what it does in the U.S., and a direct tone in Germany might sound abrasive in Japan.
Trying to run the same usability test in São Paulo and Seoul without accounting for culture, language, and local norms is a fast track to shipping products and features that feel irrelevant — or unusable — in your key markets.
That difference can determine whether your study resonates — or misses the mark.
Did you know managing languages and charities isn't enough if currency formatting isn’t perfect?If a participant wants to give 5 EUR because they are in Italy, they need to show the exact right order of currency symbol and name for both the charity portion and their portion. We made sure there's no confusion about € symbols or ¥ placement. Ensuring perfect currency formatting based on the participant's location and chosen charity.
Now your French participant in Paris sees "Médecins Sans Frontières" and additional relevant charities based on their region, alongside global choices. Contributing to meaningful to local causes with the exact currency exchange
Incentives
Pay in PLN, EUR, USD, and other local currencies
Ensure fast, compliant delivery based on regional regulations
Paying participants with Ethnio is amazing. Incentives are easy to disperse, participants love choosing their own rewards, and it's a lifesaver for accounting.
New Centralized Translations Editor for your Translators
Your German translator can perfect “Ärzte ohne Grenzen” right in the editor. by:
Admins can manage translations and localization directly in Ethnio’s central editor
AI-assisted translation is automatically verified and integrated across your study lifecycle
Assign translator seats via SSO, and all updates populate instantly across emails, reminders, and incentives.
Not feeling the editor? Edit any language directly from the main interface — charity names, emails, or participant flow — whatever you need.
Don't want to use the editor? Select any language from the top right to edit the charity names or any part of the participant experience in the main interface.
Best practices for International UXR challenges checklist
Building a global research practice that can scale means respecting language, culture, and regulations in equal measure.
Here are best practices for navigating unfamiliar markets and cultures in international UXR:
Language: Partner with local moderators or translators, and leverage built-in translation workflows.
Culture: Respect consent norms, timing, and tone.
Logistics: Plan for time zones, holidays, and tech constraints.
Legal: Stay compliant with privacy, incentives, and data laws.
Recruitment: Build authentic, verified participant networks.
Enterprise-ready for global scale
Enterprises that invest in building inclusive, regionally aware research capabilities are better positioned to ship products and features that resonate worldwide.
Want to see how your research projects can travel better? We’d love to show you. 👉
FAQs
What’s the largest panel your platform supports, and how is it distributed?
Up to 10M participants across the U.S., EMEA, LATAM, APAC, and beyond.
Does Ethnio support non-English recruiting and screener translations?
Yes. Ethnio’s localization engine combines DeepL, Amazon, and ChatGPT AI translation models with human editing for every field and email across the study lifecycle — covering 47+ languages and all major currencies.
How in-depth does translation go?
Every part of your study — emails, screeners, consent forms, incentives — is covered and editable through the central editor.
Can we edit or upload our own translations?
Absolutely. Edit directly or import/export via CSV, XLSX, or Google Sheets.
