The linguistic butterfly effect: the hidden cost of ambiguous translations in consumer decisions

Purpose – This paper examines the impact of ambiguous product descriptions resulting from translation on perceived product quality, analyzing how this relationship varies between offline and online purchase contexts. Design/methodology/approach – The study relies on data collected between 2023 and 2025 in Italy through a 2X2 experiment. Findings – Results indicate that ambiguous product descriptions reduce consumers’ perceived product quality. Moreover, as hypothesized, such a negative effect is stronger among online participants as compared to those offline. Originality/value – By bridging consumer language research with the signaling theory and construal level theory, this paper contributes to the literature at the intersection of marketing, information processing and consumer language research, as well as to linguistic and managerial practice.