How to Do Mobile App Localization Correctly: Best Practices and Practical Advice

Geographical barriers are becoming less and less of a barrier to commerce in today's globalized world, particularly when it comes to digital goods like websites, smartphone applications, or other kinds of software. The localization procedure is a crucial step when introducing your goods to new markets.

As a result, it appeals to a wider range of geographic target audiences and offers users from many nations and cultural backgrounds a satisfying user experience.

The following elements may be translated and modified when localizing your program for a different market:

Elements of interface design

Text, such as user manuals and usage rules and conditions

Date, currency, and more numerical forms

Pictures and visual components associated with a certain nation or culture

Audio files that include spoken words, etc.

Yes, it is a significant topic. Let's now discuss all the crucial elements of localizing iOS and Android mobile apps.

Why Should a Mobile App Be Localized?

Localization should be a key component of your mobile app's product evolution commercial plan if you want to take it worldwide.

Even though English is often referred to be the worldwide language of communication, it goes without saying that any user would be happier interacting with a product that allows them to utilize their local tongue while also taking into consideration their cultural quirks. To guarantee effective marketing campaigns in various nations, books and movies sometimes change their names and occasionally even their covers.

In the Asia-Pacific area, for example, there are already over 2.7 billion mobile users, and by 2021, it is anticipated that these people would have installed about 200 million applications.

The top ten languages and corresponding nations for app localization are shown below:

USA, UK, Australia, and Canada in English Japanese— Japan Mandarin Mainland China Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China Russian — Russia South Korea, or Korean German — Germany Spanish: Argentina, Mexico Portuguese—Brazil Indonesian: Indonesia

The distinctions between translation and localization

These two words are often confused with one another. But there is a big gap between them. For instance, translation of text or other components may be part of localization by default, but the task is more complicated than that.

How to modify the context to fit the unique characteristics of a certain culture, area, or nation. For example, you must change icons and symbols, convert pounds to kilos, kilometers to miles, or the other way around, and adjust calendar systems (Gregorian, Chinese, and Muslim calendars). Therefore, a certain amount of customisation is implied by the procedure.

Additionally, there is a concept known as "mobile app internationalization," which suggests that the program code used in its design and development is independent of the language or cultural quirks of the country or region. This method streamlines and expedites the process of product localization in the future.

Ideally, this approach would allow developers to add a new locale to the product without having to modify the source code.

The Best Practices and Practical Advice for Localizing a Mobile App

Here are some pointers and tried-and-true methods to assist you stay clear of issues and finish this kind of task effectively. When working on a project, feel free to utilize the things you've remembered as a checklist.

At the beginning, provide the required possibilities. By separating user interface components (text, pictures, etc.) from the code itself, mobile app internationalization makes future translation easier.
Research analytics. Connecting your app to Google Play, the App Store, and third-party analytics providers can help you understand the geographic distribution of your users and choose which market you should first target with your release.
Engage professionals. It's crucial to comprehend the context, language subtleties, and cultural quirks in addition to translating the software accurately. For instance, consumers may interpret the same images and symbols differently depending on their country.
Modify the layout. For instance, words in various languages may take approximately 10% less or up to 30% more screen real estate. It could be necessary to alter the design layout of an app when translating it into a different language.
Take the situation into account. A translated word may signify multiple things depending on the context. You may include the relevant comments in the code to facilitate the translation process for translators.
Distinguish words from pictures. It might be challenging to localize your software when you include photos with text on them. Therefore, it would be wise to stay away from this technique.
Include a language switch option in the configuration. Residents of bilingual communities may find this feature useful.

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Take standards and measuring units into account. Around the globe, various regions utilize different calendars, metric systems, currencies, address formats, and other formatting components.
FAQs and other materials. Give users the chance to consult data and utilize instructions in their mother tongue. Some coders overlook it.
Include right-to-left language support. For example, it is about Arabic or Hebrew. Consider the significant impact it might have on the design of your app's user interface. You should use localization tools that support this kind of writing to prevent issues.
App Store optimization. You must create translated copies of the information, content, and graphics before you can add a product version in a foreign language to the relevant shop area.
Examine the outcomes. For the translated version of your software, provide an environment that can handle a variety of real-life use cases. Examine how data appears on various screens, test the features, etc. Exposing localization problems is preferable than users doing so.

Let's Recap

All well-known mobile app firms place special attention on app localization since it offers several benefits and helps them solidify their place in the worldwide market. When done properly, this procedure may help you move your company to the next level, but it requires time, talent, and work.

Location based app development anchorages real-time geographic data to craft apps that deliver individualized services, optimize routes, and enhance user engagement by connecting digital experiences with physical locations.