- August 25, 2020
- Posted by: Eva
- Category: Blog
You can’t go another way if you’re a mobile app developer! You will certainly have to increase your app’s exposure and visibility aiming to boost your application’s monthly active users. Your ultimate goal, however, should be to increase revenues.
However, can you ever maximize your reach without tailoring your app to the needs of different end-users who happen to live in different locations with different preferences, different languages and different cultures?
To cut it short, the only answer is Mobile App Localization.
It’s the tool that makes it possible for mobile app developers, and marketers, to cross the border of their local user base and access the vast horizons of global markets.
When Should You Decide to Go Global?
Let’s admit it. Some mobile app developers erroneously believe that since English is an international language, creating their app in English will easily push it into global markets. Is this true? Let’s refer to facts and figures?
According to Statista [https://www.statista.com/statistics/274774/forecast-of-mobile-phone-users-worldwide/ ], the number of cell phone users in the USA in 2017 is about 237.7 million whereas the global number in the same year hit 4.9 billion.
Further, there’s another enlightening fact revealed by App Annie ─ one of the mobile industry’s most trusted mobile data and analytics platform. A study [https://www.appannie.com/en/insights/market-data/app-annie-2017-retrospective/] conducted by the platform reveals a few facts.
• China is the world’s largest app market by far. They don’t speak English or French there, do they?!
• In the last quarter of 2017, app users in China spent more than 200 billion hours in apps across iOS, Google Play and third-party Android (big money that can buy a car!).
• One dollar out of every 4 dollars coming from the app stores, in-app ads and mobile commerce is generated by the Chinese market.
In addition to these clear figures, other statistics show that half of the countries within the top 10 for downloads and revenue in the iOS App Store are non-English speaking nations from East Asia and Europe. Also, eighty percent of the countries within the top five for downloads and revenue in Google Play are also non-English speaking nations. At the worldwide level, forty-one percent of the total mobile app revenue comes from Asia, while 31% comes from North America and 23% from Europe. So what?!
So, Mr. mobile app developer: Never put all your eggs in one basket!
Important Things to Know When You Enter a New Market
After all is said, you need to take a few things into consideration when you, as a mobile app development business, decide to partner with a professional mobile app localization partner. Let’s dive deeper.
First – Forget it, You’re Not Just Translating!
What is the big mistake in this sphere? Definitely to regard mobile app localization as some sort of translation. It’s not, and will never be!
Mobile app localization is about adapting the entire mobile app user experience so that it may work smoothly with multiple audiences in different markets in different parts of the world. This covers such elements as date formats, numbers, unit and currencies conversion. What’s more, it’s about adapting the mobile app to each country’s regulations, social conventions, cultural idiosyncrasies and technological standards.
Second – Please Do App Metadata First!
What’s as important as the localization of content within the app? Metadata and keyword localization are also essential for your mobile app discoverability.
We advise you to begin with localizing the app store metadata into as many locales as possible, even before localizing the in-app content to those locales. This includes the app name, keywords, the high-level description, and screenshots. You have to make these metadata elements understandable for the users in your target market. This is because the mobile app end users, in many cases, wouldn’t download your app if the app store metadata is not localized to that same locale.
Furthermore, by tracking which regions are downloading your mobile app through localized metadata, you can determine which markets to expand in. Big bonus!
Third – The Primacy of Planning
To avoid being stuck in the future, you have, in the present, to plan for localization by ensuring to internationalize your app as you go. In other words, localization should be in mind from the very outset.
Let’s take a few examples. First, to have your app ready for localization, you should not be hard-coding any text or UI elements. Also, you have to ensure that the app can handle multiple languages with different alphabets, numbers and plural forms.
Further, as the text might increase by about 20 to 30% when translated into another language, you’ll have to ensure the adaptability of your user interface. Also, the interface may need to be totally changed for right-to-left languages, like Arabic, to accommodate for your user experience.
Tips for Mobile App Localization
Let’s face it. It costs both time and money to localize your mobile app to new markets. Yet, it always pays off handsomely. Therefore, here are a few practical tips when you do it.
1- Mobile App Localization Strategy First!
As in anything successful on our planet, you need to decide your mobile app localization strategy before you go ahead with the real work. You’ve got to decide which languages your app will be supporting. This decision needs to be based on real research.
Moreover, you have to study your target audience and your buyer persona so as to create tailored features ─ which pays off, also handsomely.
2- Context is Vital
Help your translators by providing them not only with app-text but also with adequate context. This will help them convey the required messages in a way that fits every and each target audience
3- Don’t Offend Cultural Sensibilities
When you embark upon your app localization project, you need to wisely avoid any content that hurts cultural sensitivity in foreign regions. Any error in this area may wreak havoc!
Why EuroLingo?
Still, we need to know the reasons why almost all our clients recommend our mobile localization services to other businesses.
In fact, we, at EuroLingo, deliver solutions in a way that guarantees a number of benefits to our clients, including:
· Boosting the sales of their mobile apps.
· Helping them reach out to new audiences all over the world.
· Improving the user experience for their end-users.
· Improving the value of the client’s app in the Google Play Store and App Store.
· Boosting revenues.
But how do we achieve this? What are our strengths?
· Human Talent: Though supported by the latest technology in the entire translation industry, all translations at EuroLingo are carried out by subject matter professionals.
· Native Linguists: Our Translation pool comprises hundreds of native experts.
· Quality Assurance: We have one of the most rigorous quality assurance systems in Europe and the world.
· Best Prices: We offer the most competitive prices in multiple pricing options that match each client’s budget.
· Excellent Project Management: We have a dedicated Project Manager for every project.
· Full Information Security: No data leaks whatsoever, as your data is highly confidential.
