By Tim Kridel for Digital Innovation Gazette
English is the world’s most widely used language in terms of native speakers. Yet for most people, it’s not their primary or even secondary language.
What’s more, in countries with the biggest growth in app usage, such as China and Russia, English isn’t the primary language. Translation: If you want your app to have a potential market bigger than about one out of every six people on Earth, it needs to be linguistically localized for each target country or demographic group.
But unless you’re staffed with polyglots, localizing your app requires outsourcing translation to a company such as Applingua. We recently spoke with Robert Lo Bue, founder and project manager of the U.K.-based company, about what developers should consider when deciding which languages to support and why localization involves more than translation.
What should developers consider when deciding which languages to publish their apps in?
Robert Lo Bue: Deciding which languages to publish your app in is arguably the most challenging part of the whole localization process. One thing is certain: You shouldn't arbitrarily guess which languages would be best for your product.
If you're an app developer, look at your current user base and decipher where the hotspots are. Send a feeler out via Twitter or search foreign-language user forums to see if there is demand for your app.
If you have to take a leap of faith, then consider your audience. Remember, apps are just as culturally sensitive as the next thing. Universal apps such as weather reports, calculators and weight-tracking apps are pretty much accepted everywhere -- but think twice about apps that rely heavily on social networks or external services. They may not be popular, or…they may even be blocked by certain countries.
Think about the market. It's a common mistake to choose the most populated countries for your first foray into localization. These countries are often amongst the poorest and the number of smartphone devices is low. Look at a country's likelihood to buy apps versus downloading for free. Applingua's top five requested languages are French, German, Spanish, Japanese and Simplified Chinese.
Once an app developer has decided which languages to use, what are their main options for creating each version of the app? If they’re outsourcing the translations, what might they expect to pay for each version?
RLB: Unless you're blue-chip, you won't be hiring full-time translators, and even they usually hire an external translation agency. I may be putting myself out of a job here, but the first place to look to get your app translated is your users: Not only are they free, but they'll also know the app inside-out.
Unfortunately, users can get flakey, and if you have deadlines to meet it's probably best you hand your app over to a professional. Apps are slightly different from other text in that they often contain variables and have heavy size and context restrictions. There's also device-specific terminology to adhere to.
My advice is to head to an app localization agency. There are quite a few out there: my own, Applingua, but also Tethras, Wordcrafts and Lionbridge, to name a few. They usually accept your string files in all the native app formats (strings, xml, etc.) and hand them back correctly formatted. Some app localization agencies -- Applingua, for example -- test the app on device to make sure everything looks great before submitting to your app store of choice.
Besides the translation, what else do developers need to consider? For example, a word in the original language might be much longer in another language, to the point that it affects the way that the user interface looks. So what should developers expect to do once translation is complete?
RLB: Localization is usually an afterthought when it comes to app design, but if you can, try and think of it a bit earlier in the development process. The translation rule says that a translated language can often take up plus or minus 30 percent of the original English. Make sure your English strings don’t push the limits on your existing UI, and that’s a great start.
Also try and communicate the style of your app to your translators. It’s easy to group apps all as one technology category, but we all know that every app is different. Get a clear picture in your own mind what your app is about and who it’s targeting. Many languages have various forms of politeness built-in and the translators will need to know which is most appropriate for your app. If possible, give the translators a demo of your app, or send them a promo code if it’s available on an app store already.
Once translation is complete, double check your app in each language. Make sure words fit and ensure that everything’s been translated (some app translation agencies can do this for you). Finally, why not send a beta build to some more loyal members of your existing user base, before making it public?
Perhaps the most important thing I like to stress is that language is subjective. There’s rarely an absolute right and wrong. If you get user feedback, be confident about bundling language updates with your bug fix or maintenance releases.
How do Android, iOS and the other major smartphone operating systems compare in terms of their abilities (e.g., SDKs) to create different language versions of an app?
RLB: Nowadays, creating localized versions of your app is as easy as clicking a button. There’s really not that much more involved.
Both Eclipse (Android dev) and Xcode (iOS dev) offer localization support directly within the UI. The resultant files are usually just text files wrapped in XML or a string file, which any good translator will be able to navigate. There’s really no excuse not to give it a go!
About the Author: Tim Kridel has been covering all things tech and telecom since 1998 for a variety of publications and analyst firms. Based in Columbia, Mo., he still enjoys the childhood hobby that led to a career writing about technology: ham radio. He is a frequent contributor to Digital Innovation Gazette.
