It has never been as easy as it is now to access any type of product or service. From a mobile device, people can choose between multiple applications developed in any country in the world. App localization is an essential step for anyone to obtain all the benefits an app provides, regardless of where they are or their language.
Good user experience promotes loyalty and quality that starts by understanding and using all the possibilities a product provides. It’s no use to have a beautiful design if it’s not understood. Knowing and following these keys will allow you to obtain the best localization.
1. Localization provides value
Localization is a top value. There are more companies that understand its importance and allocate part of their budget to develop an app to this process.
In the process of translating an application, there are many elements to take into account in order to adapt to different markets and provide the end user with a satisfactory user experience.
2. The sooner you start localizing the app the better
Of course. Ideally you should start the localization of the app at the same time you are developing it. This will avoid future problems when adapting the product to target markets. There are several things to take into account:
- Date and time format.
- Currency.
- Direction of writing.
- Measurement system.
- Symbols and pictograms.
- Punctuation.
- Legal reference.
In this sense, it is essential that the technological environment and the software used for the app can be adapted and is easy to use in different countries. For example, encoding of ASCII characters is not enough for some non-Latin alphabets, such as Chinese or Russian, which need longer encoding. The user interface must be designed leaving enough space so the text fits in all the languages that it will be translated into.
The previous internationalization of the product is essential to obtaining perfect localization.
3. Get to know the target markets
Collaborating with professional translators and localizers that have a deep knowledge of the markets the product is aimed at, guaranteeing the adaptation of all content to its traits.
Own terminology, cultural references, graphic elements and format standards are key to get any person to feel comfortable using the app and feel the app has been created in their language.
4. Pay attention to multilingual and contextual consistency
When planning the strategy to launch the app it must be done with a broad view, given the goal is to reach as many users as possible. It is also probable that you want to position it in two or more platforms.
Working with localizers will allow you to carry out a flexible layout of the application’s design so you don’t have trouble with the limited size and space of each screen.
Online content, interfaces, menus and graphic elements must adapt to any digital format.
5. Professional translation and localization are a plus
Working with a professional translation company will ensure you have access to a wide range of technological solutions for app localization that will facilitate multilingual translation and localization, following the same terminological and consistent line in all languages.
Glossaries and records prepared by translators will guarantee a correct current and future adaptation. Quality app localization is capable of connecting the native audience of each country, making it a great marketing strategy.
