Localizing your iOS app can have a major impact on game revenue. Read on to find out how:
What is localization?
Localization is simply the process of translating your product into different languages for a specific country or region.
Why localize your app?
Localizing your app can make a huge difference in growing a loyal fan base in other countries. The Apple App Store is available in over 120 countries with support for 40 languages. Support for international payments, currency, and more, is already built in to the App Store. So taking your app global is a great way to increase revenue and the process is probably more straight forward than you think. Let’s take a look at how to bring your app to the global market place with localizations.
Getting started
The first step is to figure out which countries you are interested in marketing to. Up to date sales data by country is difficult to come by. That said, a good place to start is with populous countries with minimal english speaking people, who love technology. Examples include, Japan, Korea, China, and France. There are some sites on the web that show trends. It pays to check this out periodically. My own research for a free ad-funded app (released earlier this year) yielded the top countries as Korea, Taiwan, China, Japan, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, and Russia.
Once you’ve figured out which countries you want to market to, the next step is to choose the languages for your app. Usually country to language is 1 to 1 but that’s not always the case. For example, there are 10 languages associated with China or Chinese. So it pays to do some research on the country you will be targeting and figure out which language(s) make the most sense for your app. In my case I focused on two languages for China, simplified script and traditional script.
Translating your copy
Probably the toughest aspect of localizing your app is to acquire the actual translated copy. You can gather translations for common text items like Cancel, Ok, Continue, Back, Close, etc. by simply changing the language on your iOS device and take note of the translation for these common text items. Using the same translation as iOS itself really helps the user and keeps your app consistent with the operating system.
For less common words and simple phrase translations, many developers use Google Translate or some other on-line translation service. This can be problematic if you need more complex sentences or phrases translated. Poorly translated phrases may actually hurt more than help by confusing or even insulting the user.
By far the best approach to translating your copy is to use a professional translation service. There are a variety of translation services marketed on the web. You probably want to focus on those that specialize in working with iOS apps. Companies with a focus on iOS app translation often provide good documentation or tools that make the process of setting up your app for localization easier. In most cases you can get an online estimate by pasting your copy into a form.
Tips for Localizing your App
The process for localizing your app is fairly straight forward. Apple’s developer documentation provides a complete set of programming topics that will guide you through the process. There are a few common pitfalls to avoid.
Complete your app (especially the user interface) before localizing. Once you begin creating localized versions of your windows, views menus, etc., if you change the arrangement of screen items, you will find yourself tweaking multiple files (one for each language). Completing your app also ensures that you will have all the text you need translated. Remember to include any online help text that you link to from your app in your copy for translation.
Consider alerts and dynamic text for translation as well, not just the text you see when views first load.
If your app references any locale or region formatted information like time, date, currency, or other numerical values, remember to use the locale settings of the device in calculations and text you display dynamically. For example, if you calculate and display miles per gallon in the United States, be prepared to calculate and display Kilometers Per Gallon if the user’s locale is set as such.
Avoid having graphics that contain text. For example, if you use a custom button background and the title for the button is included as part of the image, you will need a version of that graphic for each language. You can save time by keeping text out of the graphic and use the title property for text instead.
Sound files that contain spoken text will need to be available for each supported language.
One key decision is whether you will also provide translated App Store meta data (app description, etc). This is something you need to figure out before you go live because adding localized meta data requires you submit a new version to the App Store.
Consider starting with localizing your app for one or two countries and bringing more on later. If your product roadmap includes expanding features in later versions, you can move additional translation costs to those versions and justify the expense based on sales in additional markets.
Testing your App
It’s important to test your app with your test device setup for each supported language. Compared to English, most other languages will result in more characters for any given word or phrase. You may need to adjust the size of some of your UI controls to accommodate the increased length of a word or phrase.
If possible, add testers from your target countries. Ask for feedback specifically as it relates to translations.
Hmmm, I’m not sure just yet
Even if your still on the fence about bringing your app to international markets by localizing your app you can still help yourself by taking some basic steps in your app development right now. Start by reading through Apple’s developer documentation as it relates to localization and internationalization. You’ll discover, when beginning the development of your app, that you can take some simple steps that will make localizing your app later much easier and cost less.
Patrick Brennan, Senior Software Developer