Top 5 Localization Solutions for Applications: Types and Examples
By: Muhammad Hamza Posted on 4 hours ago
By: Muhammad Hamza Posted on 4 hours ago
We see many applications launch, get hype, and then suddenly become dead. There are multiple reasons behind this. The most significant one is that they do not invest in localization, and if they do, they do not choose the right solution. Well, localization may sound simple, but it is like a whole book consisting of multiple chapters. Reading one or two isn’t enough if you really want to get the desired results.
Whether you are a developer or a business that wants to expand globally, this article has some valuable information for you. So, keep reading.
Localization is about making your product feel like a locally developed one, that looks and feels native to the target audience. This gives developers the chance to ensure success in the global market by adapting their application elements according to the cultural context and user preferences of the target region.
Often people confuse translation with localization. Knowing the difference between translation and localization is crucial, as both are closely relevant terms and seem confusing to new businesses.
Translation is the process of converting textual content from one language to another to make it understandable for the target audiences. Well, an application has a lot more than just texts. It also includes multiple other elements such as UI, graphics, design, audio, and video assets.
While going global, adapting these components plays a crucial role in enhancing user engagement, app store optimization, and revenue. This is where localization tools jump in.
Users globally have their specified preferences and behaviors toward applications. These intricacies are highly influenced by language and cultural nuances. For example, an application in English is successful in the United Kingdom, the USA, and other regions speaking the same language. However, German speakers will decline the same app because they will be unable to connect with it.
Moreover, only translating the textual content into German won’t make any difference because of the local preferences and specified requirements. This includes colors, content length, style, tone, and formality level. So, app localization is not just a requirement, but a necessity for any developer who is planning to reach the global market.
While most people think of it as a waste of money, localization is actually an investment that pays you back in the form of:
As discussed above, user preferences and behavior vary across regions. Therefore, when tapping into new markets, you need to align your application’s elements according to the local nuances. By doing so, you can ensure an effective reach to the global marketplace and develop a strong brand image worldwide.
Localizing an application allows you to offer your product to a diverse audience with an engaging UI and personalized design. As a result, more users install your application. So, the greater the downloads, the more revenue you will be able to generate.
App localization is not just about adapting your products; it also helps analyze user engagement levels, find loopholes, and identify areas that need improvement. By being responsive to key user engagement metrics like retention and conversion rate, you can ensure a seamless user experience and positive reviews.
To ensure that your application is visible to your global audience and shows on top when they search with relevant queries, localize keywords, meta titles, and descriptions. This will enhance your application's search visibility on the local search engines of your global audience.
Getting all these benefits requires you to pay special attention to the localization tools you are acquiring for your app.
Let’s discuss the top-rated localization solutions and which one you should integrate into your development process.
Localization solutions for applications are a set of strategies and tools used to adapt an application to a specific target market. This goes beyond simple word-to-word translation and involves considering cultural nuances, linguistic preferences, and local regulations. They also ensure a seamless and user-friendly experience for users in diverse regions. Let’s discuss them.
App development is a thorough process. Even if your application is launched, the feature updating process is never-ending. In this case, a sustained localization process is needed, for which continuous localization platforms work like a solution for app developers. Here is how these platforms help keep your app’s content up-to-date across multiple languages without disrupting the development workflow:
Maintaining an application is a normal thing; however, it shouldn’t be unavailable for a long time, as it places a bad impression on the audience. So, continuous localization platforms make sure that the app is automatically updated and synchronized with the ongoing process. This procedure is called CI/CD (continuous integration and continuous deployment). It ensures the rapid availability of the new features added in multiple languages, streamlines workflow, and reduces delays.
While updating, there are chances of mistranslation and language errors. The continuous localization platforms also ensure consistency in each localization version. The main function of version control is to keep track of translation changes, enabling easy updates and, most importantly, avoiding discrepancies between different language versions.
Usually, multiple teams are working simultaneously on the same application, which often include multilingual developers, translators, and product managers. To ensure that everyone easily communicates with other members, localization platforms allow collaborations regardless of linguistic background.
Lokalise is a popular continuous localization platform. It offers a comprehensive suite of features, including translation memory, a glossary, and a user-friendly interface. It streamlines your application localization process providing features like real-time updates, version control, and team collaboration.
Software development companies usually work on multiple projects at the same time. However, handling different application translation projects simultaneously requires a proper management system equipped with all necessary tools, such as:
Translation is a complex task that takes time and money. So, if you are translating applications for different dialects of the same language, would you restart the whole process again and again? No, right? Well, to save developers from this hassle, reduce translation costs, and speed up the process, translation memory tools are available. They eliminate the need for re-translating the same text by storing the previously translated content in a central repository. This is where the name “centralized translation memory” comes from.
Localizing an application for different regions increases the chances of errors, inconsistencies, and formatting issues. Quality assurance is essential to ensure that the application is appropriately functioning and there are no lags across multilingual versions. QA tools come with built-in features that automatically check for errors, cultural context, and linguistic accuracy. These tools play a crucial role in improving overall quality and reducing revision cycles.
Every software is designed according to industry requirements using domain-specific terminology. However, to maintain consistency across different languages, localization management software is available, which helps maintain brand voice across languages and avoid misunderstandings by utilizing the appropriate terms.
MarsCloud is a feature-packed translation management system. This cloud-based TMS helps companies streamline their application localization projects using features like translation memory, terminology management, and workflow customization and a lot more. It speeds up localization processes by allowing users to work on multiple projects simultaneously and provides real-time progress tracking for each project.
Although localization and development processes are done side by side, you cannot restrict them to a single place. Though these are lengthy processes, most developers and linguists are working remotely. Therefore, to keep track of their progress, project managers highly rely on online cloud-based localization services. Moreover, they provide:
Cloud-based solutions are quite different from the software you acquire to handle each step of the localization process. These services easily scale with your app’s growth. For example, while expanding to new regions and adding new languages, you can easily handle the increasing volume of translation work without investing in additional resources.
Moreover, these solutions support multiple operating systems, including iOS, Android, web, etc. Cloud-based services enable you to localize your application across various devices and platforms in a unified process while ensuring a consistent user experience across all OS.
Handling different languages and developing applications for different operating systems at the same time will definitely save you time and money, which makes cloud-based solutions user- and budget-friendly.
They connect all team members, including multilingual translators, development, design, and content teams, allowing them to work on the same project at the same time. Everyone is performing their tasks with real-time collaboration, which speeds up the localization process while making it easier to manage across different time zones and locations.
Amazon Translate is a cloud-based localization service offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS). It uses artificial intelligence and neural machine translation technology to automate the translation process. Moreover, Amazon Translate empowers development companies and developers with the tools and capabilities to achieve their application localization goals.
With the availability of machine learning and AI solutions, localization efficiency has increased so much. While these technologies are advancing continuously, the translation results are getting more accurate, faster, and context-aware. Though these solutions are highly based on data processing, their localization capabilities are unmatchable. Here’s how ML- and AI-powered solutions make quality additions:
The neural machine translation model acts like a human brain, which means the app localization results will be of high quality.
As AI-powered solutions are capable of understanding the context of text, the chances of mistranslation and ambiguous phrases decrease. This means that the translated version is not only linguistically correct but also contextually appropriate for the target audience.
Machine learning tools are smart enough to detect patterns in language usage. They learn from past results and generate more refined and precise future translations.
Systran is a leader in machine translation technology with a strong emphasis on leveraging machine learning. Its focus on NMT, a more advanced approach that leverages artificial neural networks to produce more human-like and contextually relevant translations. So, if you are looking for machine-powered localization solutions for your application, Systran could be your choice.
Even though a final product supports multiple platforms in the back end, things are a little complex. Localizing apps on specific platforms like iOS and Android requires specialized tools. Native app localization frameworks provide the necessary tools to manage localized content. Also, they ensure the app performs well across different regions and languages.
This refers to separating app user interface text from the code into external files, such as .xml files for Android or .strings files for iOS. The string externalization helps in managing translations and updating the application without modifying the core app code.
Application elements such as design, color, format, text, and audio vary across languages. Localization frameworks allow proper resource management ensuring that all elements are perfectly aligned with the right language version of the app.
String externalization and continuous localization increase the chances of formatting issues and layout problems. Native localization frameworks include testing tools to ensure that the localized version is compatible with various device sizes and formats.
Xcode for iOS provides features like Localizable .strings files for managing localized text. It also offers built-in tools for creating and managing application localization resources.
Android Studio, on the other hand, utilizes a resource-based approach where different language versions of resources (strings, layouts, images) are stored in separate folders (e.g., values, values-fr, values-es). In a nutshell, these frameworks make the application localization process easier for you.
The app localization solutions are beneficial in multiple ways, and each works in a unique manner. So, you have to pick one that fits well with your requirements. You can choose the localization solution based on:
It is essential to choose a localization solution that integrates seamlessly with your current app development tools, code repositories, and project management systems. Doing so will save you from unwanted issues while smoothening the workflow and avoiding disruptions.
Keep the facts, like string externalization, in mind while opting for localization solutions for different platforms such as Windows, iOS, Android, and the web. Making the right choice will provide you the flexibility to handle multi-platform localization consistently.
As your app grows, you will need to update its features and functionality for improved user experience. Just in case, you will need to localize the new features, so make sure you choose a solution that can scale with your app and allow changes without modifying the core app code.
Localization is necessary to ensure the global success of any business. However, when it comes to localizing an application, things get a little complex. That’s because the requirement, niche, and target audience of every app differ. So, it is crucial to choose a localization solution that suits your needs the best. This is indeed a hectic task, so you can trust professionals with the process.
At MarsTranslation; localization experts suggest which solution will fit best with your app or software. They make the process easy for you, taking care of everything from choosing the right solution to localizing your product accurately.
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