Ethical Challenges in Website Localization: Evidence from AliExpress Websites

Abstract

This study examines the ethical challenges of website localization through a comparative analysis of the UK and Saudi versions of the AliExpress e-commerce platform. The research investigates whether localization practices across linguistic, visual, and policy-related content meet the ethical principles of fairness, transparency, and inclusivity. A qualitative comparative case-study approach was adopted, drawing on data from homepages, promotional banners, product descriptions, and return and refund policies. The analysis integrates Venuti’s concepts of domestication and foreignization, Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis framework, and principles of digital consumer ethics. The findings reveal significant differences between the two website versions. While both interfaces are adapted to their target audiences, the Saudi version relies more heavily on persuasive visual strategies and urgency-based marketing techniques. At the textual level, the Arabic content frequently exhibits literal translation, inconsistent terminology, untranslated English expressions, and semantically inaccurate renderings that reduce clarity and naturalness. The analysis also identifies omissions and accessibility issues in policy-related information, particularly in return and refund policies, which may limit users’ access to essential information and undermine trust. The study concludes that website localization extends beyond linguistic transfer to encompass ethical responsibilities toward target users. The findings highlight the limitations of excessive reliance on automated localization and emphasize the need for human oversight, post-editing, and culturally sensitive quality assurance practices to ensure communicative equity in multilingual e-commerce environments.