App Localization Guide 2021 You Will Ever Need

Getting your app noticed on the App Store? we’re here to help! from market research to app localization, check out the guide to ASO for localized apps.

Developing and marketing and app is one thing, but when you expand are planning to expand your business in the regions where other languages are being spoken and read or when you are targeting the audience of a particular region, you have to make your app a bit customized to cater the multi-linguistic users. So, how will you make it happen and ensure that all your customers are covered with one app?

Just two words: App Localization

Take a few minutes and think about it. If you are providing your app in English already to the users and you just add few more languages, you will have your entire market covered completely.

And we are not saying all this just out of nowhere. There is data to back up the fact that how important app localization is. According to a popular consulting firm, Common Sense Advisory, more than 70% of the consumers globally prefer a shopping app which is in their native language. In fact, an app analytics by Distimo revealed that the developers on an average has witnessed 128% growth in the download volume within just one week of adding the native language to their app. In the same period of time, the revenue has reportedly grown by a promising figure of 26%.

So, here we are to guide you through the basic (and essential) steps involved in app localizing. From points to consider while choosing your target market to the way to prepare material and translate the app, we are going to discuss it all in this article.

1. Set Your Strategies

When you decide to localize your app, think strategically. Do not just jump to translating your app to the top 10 most popular languages that you find on the Google search. Just because a language is popular, it does not necessarily mean that it would be right choice for your business.

You can consider the two main approaches while strategizing:

Minimum Viable Localization (MVL)

If you are creating a mobile game, utility app or productivity app then you would be aiming to reach a wider audience base and MVL is best in such situations. First you would make the app understandable for just the local users, which means that you will translate it to the regional language of a particular area and then add languages as you widen your market scope.

Deep Localization

Zero down to a few markets and create tailor made features along with the native language, design campaigns according to the local areas. This approach is known as the “deep localization”. If you have enough budget, then it is best option in case of O2O (online to offline) services and products.

Define the Scope

The next step is to decide how much content you should be localizing and in what order you should go.

It is recommended to not localize everything in the first attempt, that would require lots of investment. Scale up your localizing project in the following order:

  1. Begin with localizing just your app store listing and record if there is any traction.
  2. If you see potential in any of the markets, then go for MVL – just localize the necessary user manuals and app content.
  3. If you find strong local reception for your translated app then go for complete app localization which includes your social media content, marketing material and landing pages too.

Choose Your Translator

It is really important to decide who should actually be doing your translation. Your decision will affect the efficiency, quality assurance and cost structure. Each of the approaches has some pros and cons so it would be best if you can combine different approaches. There are three basic models among which you can choose:

In-House

You would basically be recruiting a group of translators for the languages you are targeting and they will be a part of your company. Although your initial investment will be higher, it will be cheaper source in the long run and when you know that you will be translating the content in larger volumes frequently.

Outsourcing

You always have an option to tie up with the Language Service Providers (LSPs) to handle all your localization projects. Since these companies have professionals working under them, you can be assured about the quality. However, get ready to pay them literally a lot.

Crowd sourcing

When you have a larger user base, asking your users for the translation suggestions can really save you from all the investment. Though there is a risk of lower quality and you cannot control the deadlines but there are many large brands like WhatsApp who have implemented this approach successfully.

2. Communicate with Translators

If you are going for in-house translators or outsourcing your projects, it is very important that you communicate with your translators properly. Make sure that they understand the source text completely, otherwise there could be a risk of wrong translation.

If required, assign the task to a person who is good in communication to explain the context of each sentence to your translators with examples. The major issue that you can face while getting your content translated is that its meaning could change with the language change. Hence, it is really crucial that the people who are translating it understand the exact meaning of each word and phrase.

3. Test the Translations

It’s is difficult to point out once own mistakes, thus getting your translated content tested by the people who have translated it might get you in trouble and result in compromising on the quality front.

Hire a professional to text the on-device localization. That person should obviously be fluent in both the source and translated languages, and s/he should be willing to understand the working and purpose of your app in depth too. That person would be able to tell you more clearly if any of the translated text looks bad, doesn’t fit properly or is seeming offensive in the local language.

Wrapping Up

Once you are done with the testing phase and you are sure that your localized app is ready to gain the interest of wider audience, launch it!

Your app can now interact with users in multiple languages, making it more appealing for them to use the app’s services and products. We hope that the efforts will reap you the desired results, as the researched data has shown till now.

App Localization
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Editorial Staff at Techlofy is a team of Digital Marketing experts led by Ashfaq Ahmad.

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