Tell HN: Google ignores English searches and forces localized results • Hacker News Board

Re: Tell HN: Google ignores English searches and forces localized results

#21

Post by drnick1 » Sun, Dec 28, 2025, 7:27 PM UTC

> My Google account, my laptop, my phone, my interface language, and preferences are all set to English; only my physical location and payment methods are local.

Your problem start here. Don't give Google your phone number, location, or payment information. Google is a monstrous surveillance machine. If you can't do without Google search for some reason, at least use a VPN or Tor.

Re: Tell HN: Google ignores English searches and forces localized results

#22

Post by delduca » Sun, Dec 28, 2025, 7:30 PM UTC

jeanlucas wrote: post #11

denysvitali wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It should work across all Google products

My next dream would be to have Google stop suggesting me videos in Brazilian Portuguese... and most recently songs, but that's an app issue, not web :(

Huehue

Re: Tell HN: Google ignores English searches and forces localized results

#23

Post by SyrupThinker » Sun, Dec 28, 2025, 7:32 PM UTC

drnick1 wrote: post #18

llamaboy wrote: post #4

It’s a pain in the ass when you travel a lot…

Set up a VPN to your own home/office.

FWIW the decision-makers at Google (and some other companies) should just learn what the Accept-Language header is for.

Re: Tell HN: Google ignores English searches and forces localized results

#24

Post by hahn-kev » Sun, Dec 28, 2025, 7:32 PM UTC

Yeah I get this a lot, it's really annoying. You can go into settings on Google search and change it to the specific language and culture you want. However it does reset on it's own from time to time.

Re: Tell HN: Google ignores English searches and forces localized results

#25

Post by pixl97 » Sun, Dec 28, 2025, 7:32 PM UTC

drnick1 wrote: post #16

toomuchtodo wrote: post #13

Try https://kagi.com/

I would never pay for search. The obvious solution here to browse behind Tor or a VPN, or to physically move to an English speaking country if you want to live in a 100% English environment.

We pay the most for things that are free.

Re: Tell HN: Google ignores English searches and forces localized results

#26

Post by Marsymars » Sun, Dec 28, 2025, 7:33 PM UTC

A good part of this is locale-based and not language-based - I find that Google will prefer often local (English) results over the canonical English results that I'm actually looking for.

Though I primarily use Kagi now.

e.g. If I search "world's best pizza" the top Google result is a random local pizza joint that isn't even top-5 in my medium-sized city (but who have included "worldsgreatestpizza" in their long URL), and then a bunch of Facebook results. Kagi's top couple results are sites with rankings of (ostensibly) the world's top pizza restaurants.

Re: Tell HN: Google ignores English searches and forces localized results

#27

Post by bigstrat2003 » Sun, Dec 28, 2025, 7:34 PM UTC

drnick1 wrote: post #16

toomuchtodo wrote: post #13

Try https://kagi.com/

I would never pay for search. The obvious solution here to browse behind Tor or a VPN, or to physically move to an English speaking country if you want to live in a 100% English environment.

The obvious solution here is actually to pay for search. Then the company actually cares about keeping you happy, because you are their source of revenue.

Re: Tell HN: Google ignores English searches and forces localized results

#28

Post by Qem » Sun, Dec 28, 2025, 7:35 PM UTC

Same problem. My workaround is to use Yandex instead. In my experience it's consistently returning more relevant results than Google for some time already, and there's less censorship while searching torrent related content.