Have you localized your content for Spain?

What about specifically for Valencia?

by  Julia Ventskovska, CEO & Founder of  Localica

When our team moved to Valencia, I expected to notice the architecture first. Or the sea. Or the famous Central Market. Instead, what caught my attention was the metro. Every announcement is in Valencian. Spanish comes second — smaller, almost like a translation.

And that’s when it hits you: you didn’t just move to Spain. You moved to Valencia. For business, that detail matters more than most companies think.

Two Languages. One Market. A Big Difference.

Valencia is Spain’s third-largest city. On paper, that makes it a major market. But culturally, it operates differently. There are two official languages here: Castilian Spanish and Valencian. Most linguists consider Valencian part of the Catalan language family. Many locals don’t like that simplification. The debate is political, historical and emotional, and it dates back to the Franco era.

According to the 2021 census, in big cities fewer people use Valencian daily. In smaller towns and suburban areas (with populations under 20,000), it’s still very much alive — spoken at home, in shops, in everyday life.

And here’s what matters for business: Even if your client speaks Spanish with you, they can sense whether you regard them as "someone in Spain" or specifically as someone from Valencia. That emotional distinction affects trust.

Mistake No. 1: “We've Already Translated into Spanish.”

This is a classic mistake. A foreign company enters Valencia. They translate their website, ads, customer support — all into Castilian Spanish. They check the box and move on.

But Valencia isn’t Madrid. And it’s certainly not Barcelona, where Catalan is already part of most global companies’ localization plans. In public tenders, regional media, education, and parts of the public sector, Valencian is expected — sometimes required. If your company works with local government, or with customers who care deeply about regional identity, ignoring Valencian isn’t neutral. It’s visible. And sometimes, it’s expensive.

Mistake No. 2: Reusing Catalan

This one is even more delicate. Companies that already operate in Catalonia often assume their Catalan localization will work in Valencia. Linguistically, the two are very close. Culturally? It’s complicated.

The question “Is Valencian the same as Catalan?” isn’t just academic here. It’s emotional. Even the spelling of the city’s name became political. When the city government changed the official spelling from “València” to “Valencia” in 2023, it caused serious debate — and to outsiders, it looked like a tiny detail.

But the details matter. From a business perspective, the rule is simple: it doesn’t matter what linguists say. It matters what your customer feels. And your customers feel that their language is theirs. Brands that respect this earn loyalty. Brands that ignore it lose something — sometimes quietly, sometimes loudly.

A Real Case: When One Label Sparked a Backlash

Consum is a large supermarket chain headquartered in Valencia. Hundreds of stores. Thousands of employees. Deep local roots.

In 2018, they made what seemed like a small operational decision: remove Valencian from their private-label packaging and keep only Castilian Spanish. The reasoning? It would make labels clearer across multiple regions.

The reaction was immediate. The boycott petition on Change.org gathered more than 25,000 signatures. Politicians spoke out. Social media exploded with criticism. “So, you’re saying that people in other regions are so intolerant that they’d refuse to buy a product just because the label is in Valencian? If it were in English or Portuguese, would they refuse then too?”

Here’s the key point: Consum wasn’t an outsider. It was a Valencian company.

And yet, by treating its home market as simply “Spanish,” it triggered a backlash. If a local brand can face a reputation crisis over language, imagine the risk for a foreign company that never even considers it.

Valencia: Your smart entry point if you want to put your heart and soul into it

Strategically, Valencia is actually a great place to enter the Spanish market. It’s large enough to matter. Competitive, but not as intense as Madrid or Barcelona. The cost of mistakes is lower. The market reacts quickly.

There’s also a strong tech ecosystem and a growing expat community. For international founders and tech companies, English often matters more than Valencian.

So yes, segmentation is real: selling to public institutions or deeply local audiences? Valencian may be critical. 

Targeting tech startups and international entrepreneurs? While Spanish and English may suffice, Spanish will remain the primary language. However, "sufficient" does not equate to "excellent," and customers can perceive the difference.

A Small Example That Says a Lot

There’s a restaurant in central Valencia called Casa Ucraniana. It holds a 4.8 rating on TripAdvisor among nearly four thousand places in the city. At first glance, what does that have to do with localization? 

Everything. The name isn’t a literal translation. It’s an adaptation. “Casa” means “home.” It’s warm, emotional, and familiar. Not “restaurant” and not “Ukrainian cuisine.” Home...

Spanish guests quickly understand the feeling. Ukrainians feel it even more deeply. One name, two audiences, and an emotional bridge connects them.

When Spanish visitors describe it as “moderno y acogedor” (modern and cozy), and Ukrainian guests write, “I haven't been home for 4 years… how incredible it is to feel like home!” — that’s when you know localization worked on both levels: linguistic and cultural.

What I’ve Learned Living and Working Here

In Valencia, speaking Spanish isn’t enough. And honestly, many companies don’t even do that well.

Localization here isn’t about vocabulary. It’s about understanding identity. Every city has its own cultural logic, its own sensitivities, its own invisible lines. Valencia welcomes those who show respect. The rest? It tolerates them.

For those of us who live between languages and cultures, this isn’t theory. It’s a daily reality. And that’s exactly why we take localization seriously.

Do you want your brand to be embraced, not just accepted? Let’s create a strategy that resonates with Valencia’s cultural, emotional, and commercial landscape.

Get in touch with Julia and the team today:

• Email: ventskovska.ya@localica.io or iryna.o@localica.io
• Phone: +34 652 259 672
• Website: www.localica.io

Let’s ensure your brand is embraced by Valencia, not just accepted.