There is a quiet moment in every loan or insurance journey where customers hesitate.
Not because the interest rate is too high. Not because the premium feels unfair.
But because they don’t fully understand what they’re being asked to agree to.
In BFSI, confusion rarely announces itself. It shows up as abandoned applications, repeated calls to support, half-signed forms, and customers who nod along while silently hoping nothing goes wrong later. Language, often treated as a compliance checkbox, sits at the center of this problem.
The cost of confusing language isn’t theoretical. It’s operational, reputational, and deeply human.
Why language matters more than we admit
Financial services run on trust. But trust is built on comprehension, not just disclosure.
Loan agreements, policy wordings, and claims documents are designed to be precise. Over time, precision has quietly turned into complexity. Sentences stretch across paragraphs. Legal phrasing overrides everyday meaning. English becomes the default, even in markets where customers think, decide, and calculate risk in another language.
Research from Harvard Business Review has consistently shown that complexity increases perceived risk, even when the underlying product is sound. When people don’t understand something, they assume it may be working against them.
In BFSI, that assumption is costly.
Insight 1: Confusion slows down revenue
Every unclear sentence creates friction. And friction delays decisions.
In loan journeys, unclear eligibility criteria or repayment terms often lead to:
- Drop-offs mid-application
- Multiple verification loops
- Increased dependency on branch staff or call centers
In insurance, confusion around coverage exclusions or claims steps leads to slower conversions and higher post-sale dissatisfaction.
According to Deloitte, customer experience leaders in financial services consistently outperform peers on growth, not because they sell more products, but because customers complete journeys faster and with fewer interventions.
Language clarity directly impacts time-to-revenue.
Insight 2: Translation alone is not understanding
Many institutions assume the problem ends with translation. It doesn’t.
A literal translation of a complex English clause into Hindi, Tamil, or Bengali often preserves confusion, just in another language. Customers may recognize the words, but not the meaning.
This is where over-reliance on basic translation tools creates risk. A Translation API can move text from one language to another at scale, but without domain context, regulatory nuance, and cultural alignment, it can’t simplify intent.
For BFSI, language must be:
- Legally accurate
- Contextually clear
- Familiar in tone
Anything less creates false confidence, a customer thinks they understand, until a claim is rejected or a penalty applies.
Insight 3: Confusing language drives avoidable support costs
One of the least discussed costs of unclear language is internal.
When customers don’t understand:
- They call
- They escalate
- They revisit branches
- They file complaints
World Economic Forum reports that financial institutions spend billions globally each year handling issues that originate from miscommunication, not product failure.
In insurance, a poorly explained waiting period or deductible clause can generate thousands of identical queries. In lending, unclear foreclosure terms often surface only during distress, when emotions are high and trust is fragile.
Clear language is not just customer-friendly. It is operational efficiency.
Insight 4: Language shapes perceived fairness
Customers don’t judge fairness by fine print. They judge it by how clearly the rules were explained upfront.
When a claim is denied, customers often say, “No one told me this.”
Sometimes, the information was there, just buried, complex, or linguistically distant.
In multilingual markets like India, fairness is inseparable from language access. In a market where people speak a regional language, an explanation in English merely gives one person more authority. Customers feel that they aren’t part of the decisions that affect their money.
This image can slowly damage brand credibility, even when the methods are physically correct.
Insight 5: Regulation is moving toward clarity, not just disclosure
Regulators around the world are shifting their focus. It’s not enough to just give out information anymore; organizations have to make sure it’s clear.
More and more, there are rules that say you have to use plain language, make sure customers understand what you’re saying, and put the client first in your communications. Regulators expect financial companies to demonstrate understanding, not merely write things down.
For BFSI leaders, this changes how language infrastructure is viewed. It is no longer a back-office function. It is a risk management layer.
Where technology helps, and where it doesn’t
Modern language technology has real potential. When used correctly, a Translation API can:
- Scale multilingual communication quickly
- Ensure consistency across channels
- Reduce manual turnaround time
But technology must sit on top of strong language governance.
High-performing BFSI organizations combine:
- Domain-trained translation systems
- Human linguistic oversight
- Clear content design principles
This is where specialized platforms, such as Devnagri, become relevant, especially for regulated, high-stakes communication. The goal isn’t speed alone. It’s accuracy with empathy.
Practical takeaways for BFSI leaders
If confusing language is costing your institution silently, here’s where to start:
- Audit customer-facing language
Identify where customers pause, call, or abandon journeys. - Separate legal accuracy from linguistic complexity
You can remain compliant without being incomprehensible. - Go beyond literal translation
Demand contextual clarity, not word-for-word output. - Measure language impact
Track support tickets, drop-offs, and disputes tied to communication gaps. - Treat language as CX infrastructure
Not content. Not compliance. Infrastructure.
The real cost, and the real opportunity
The cost of confusing language isn’t just lost conversions or higher support bills. It’s the slow erosion of trust, one unclear sentence at a time.
In BFSI, where products are invisible and promises matter, clarity is not a courtesy. It is a competitive advantage.
The institutions that win won’t be the ones with the most features or the lowest prices. They’ll be the ones that customers actually understand.
And in financial services, understanding is everything.