Mobile App Translation and Localization

Mobile app localization consists of various services such as translation, localizing the code and user interface (UI), and testing. However, do a preliminary study of your target market to understand which variant of a language they may be using, how they tend to use apps in your domain, the demography, and so on. It helps in better localization.

• Translate visible as well as invisible text. This includes all the UI text, the underlying code, and any user support information such as help text. You need to research the right keywords in every locale which people may be using to look for the product/service that you offer. This process is called multilingual search engine optimization (SEO). With the release of every new update, there will be new content to be translated.

• App localization services ensure that your mobile application is tailored to the user needs of a particular locale. This may include reorienting the app for right-to-left (RTL) languages, the right conventions to use in forms and fields, the right date and time formats, etc.

• Testing for translation quality as well as functionality. Linguist reviewers make sure the translation meets your standards and follows the style guide. Localization testing includes checking to see if there are any display issues and whether the app is functioning correctly on different devices, to name just a few items listed in a testing script.

Whether you’re localizing for Android or iOS, note that mobile app content is dynamic and is sometimes updated several times a day. Hence, translation of this content is near-continuous too, or needs to be. An agile localization process and team setup can handle the translation better than that suited to a waterfall development method. How can you get your mobile app translation service to work successfully with your product team so as to ensure high quality and uninterrupted translation? A few tips:

• Use tech solutions to manage translation. This reduces manual hand-off of files and many other human touchpoints, thus reducing scope for errors and speeding up work. Many tools and technologies, such as plugins connect directly to code repositories such as Github, GitLab, Bitbucket and so on. It enables faster, simultaneous translation  of new strings and makes sure the code as well as the translations are synchronized. Straightforward integrations with several native SDKs such as iOS and Android Studio etc., make this possible. Your mobile app localization company can directly integrate with app stores such as Google Play or the App Store. The translations are delivered over-the-air (OTA), so there is no need to update your application.
• Integrate the localization team with the app development team. If the teams are in sync from the start, they know what’s expected of each other and fully appreciate why they need to collaborate. The localization team is also aware of the intended audience of the app and can work accordingly. A close collaboration between localization and development improves quality, reduces friction, and is quicker on the whole.
• Work with the right app localization company. It must understand tech and translation and should be able to scale when required. It must have enough expertise in your domain as well as the required resources in the languages you’re looking to translate.

With translation plugins or app integrations as they are also known, you can automate the translation workflow and have complete access to the process. There’s no need for you to do any heavy lifting as far as development is concerned: you simply choose a plugin that suits your budget and requirements and start translating your app.