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Updated 14 May 2024

How to Translate an App and Why it's Important for User Adoption

Making the most of mobile app localization services can help ensure your app is successfully adopted by audiences far and wide.

Translation

Why app localization is important

The success or failure of an app depends a lot on user adoption – and if a big portion of your audience can’t use the app in their own language then they can be tricky to win over.

Translating your app content and UI will get you a better app store ranking as there's lower competition for local keywords, and in return, you'll get more downloads.

But what should you take into consideration when translating your app? We spoke with Frederik Vollert, the co-founder of Phrase, Acolad partner for translation technology integration.

“In the past, user experience was often considered at the end of the app localization process. Now, it's normally integrated from the very beginning of app development. Agile methods require a high level of synchronization between product design, text creation, translation, and development in modern software development teams.”

The word “localization” can have two different meanings regarding mobile apps or web applications:

Geo localization: The location where the end device or any random target is found
Localization in terms of adaptation to local language and cultural circumstances. Different from a simple translation, localization also incorporates design elements and cultural references.

The disadvantages of bad UX in multilingual apps

Those unfamiliar with the topic may dismiss user experience as design with frills or think that it deals with questions that are only of interest to market-leading apps and websites that don’t know how else to improve their product. However, app localization clearly shows the effect that poor UX can have - especially where there is no, or an incorrect, translation.

Lack of visibility
If you only offer your app in English, you may be excluding yourself from a listing in the French, Spanish, German, Italian, etc. app stores. Less visibility means fewer downloads.
Low user acceptance
Dissatisfied used may terminate their usage or delete the app. This applies in particular to financial apps or apps with integrated purchases. Even if a description text written solely in English does not scare off the users, they often lose patience if their own bank accounts are managed by an app that is isn’t in their own language and currency. This is especially important if payments will be made with the app or if the user would like to know more about local data security policies.
Worse reviews
Even for less critical transactions, such as restaurant recommendations, app providers risk getting worse reviews than necessary if their content is only accessible in the local language. This is critical as positive reviews are essential for a good ranking in the app store.

So here’s how to translate an app the right way

The first challenge when translating apps is project management and process coordination. But that isn’t all. “You have to consider the cultural components as well,” Frederik continues. “Products, services and apps don't work the same way in every culture. Maybe visual markers and the design have to be adjusted and, of course, a user interface that feels local is crucial for success on the market.”

There may be an increasing level of standardization among international customs from the perspective of UX, but the reading direction, color symbols, references or external links still differ depending on the country. These parameters must be included in the design stage.

Another aspect of localizing apps is a little easier to fix: the different word lengths in different languages. Frederik explains: “A lot can go wrong on the technical side. Software is highly standardized, but nevertheless, layouts or functions are frequently broken up during localization processes, for example, through the translation of placeholder names or breaking up of computer-legible formats.”

A lot of technical texts, for example, are initially produced in English, but they are sometimes 15-20% longer in German, French or Italian. In order to prevent app users from only having sentence fragments in the end, buttons and text fields can be designed responsively. On the other hand, localization solutions offer installed “stops” after a certain sentence length during the translation.

Furthermore, the translators must be briefed correspondingly so that the short text forms are maintained and still make sense. The other scenario that Frederik described, the “breaking up” of functions, may happen if brackets or HTML tags are accidentally translated, which then results in a mix of words and design rather than giving certain commands.

Your app translation checklist

In summary, you should consider the following three aspects when localizing your app:

1. Think internationally

Include all teams (developers, product owners, UX designers, translation experts) in the app design process from the beginning. They may be freelancers or professional agencies who have experience with comparable projects.

2. Consider cultural differences:

Pictograms and colors must be understandable, and the text-image ratio should be appropriate. Data privacy regulations or external factors may also influence design, which in turn results in additional pages having to be created or adapted.

3. Use technical solutions integrated in app localization and translation:

Restricting the number of characters, automatic detection of HTML tags and feature previews are classic tools.

At any rate, it's better to localize too much than too little. We see a lot of customers who are successful in markets that they initially weren’t even thinking about. This only works through designing their strategy to be more international and the localization of app content.