Three Tips for Mobile App Localization

The mobile app market is quite literally exploding, and developers are discovering that there is a fountain of new revenue streams from downloads and advertising outside of the US. Are you ready to capitalize on emerging markets? Do you have a mobile app localization strategy?

To make sure you do your mobile app software translation in the most efficient way possible, we'd like to share some tips to guide you through the process...

1. Research the international mobile market to help define your strategy. The mobile landscape is different from country to country, which means that there are thousands of variables in regards to mobile platforms, platform versions and local carriers. Each configuration may require a different approach when it comes to international deployment. Which platforms (i.e. iPhone, Blackberry, Java, Android, etc.) and carriers are the most important in the countries you want to target first? This should guide your strategy.
2. Do a dry run. The simulated-translation and testing effort is a relatively quick and cost-effective dry-run of your mobile application localization process. This step will eliminate issues that would have otherwise emerged during later phases of the project.
3. Know your real estate limitations. Mobile devices have smaller screens than laptops or monitors, which means that you're going to have some serious string length limitations. Avoid layout breakage by finding out more information about the devices, or alternatively tell your translation provider to maintain a length equivalent to your English strings and abbreviate whenever possible. Many languages (e.g., German, French) will expand your original text and make your strings longer.

Thirsty for more? Read all Top 10 Tips for Mobile Software Application Localization. (Yes, it's a mouthful.) It's the latest addition in our popular "Top 10" series.

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