iOS Dev Weekly promotion

localization works... when users download your app

June 1, 2016 — Benjamin Zadik

I'm going to tell you the truth that most translation and localization companies probably won't admit. Localizing your app into 30 languages won't magically make people around the world download your app. If you think about, it's the same principle as your English-only app. Just because you put it in the App Store doesn't mean anyone will find it, let alone download it.

So how do you make money from localization? The smart money is on localizing your app into the languages where you already see downloads. Open up iTunes Connect and check out your download statistics. If you're seeing interest in Latin America or Japan, then translate into Spanish and Japanese. Are downloads from Indonesia on fire? Then, even though it's not in the Top-10 countries by volume, your app might actually see a huge increase in downloads once the app is localized for that audience.

The other piece of advice I can tell you is to advertise your localizations, just like you would any feature in your app. Let users know that the app is in their language through release notes, app descriptions, and any other tools at your disposal. Write to bloggers or put out a press release telling the world your app is in 10 languages. International users just may take notice!

Finally, if you're one of the lucky developers that has been contacted by Apple to be a Featured app in the App Store, you probably already know that Apple (forcefully) suggests your app be in the Top-10 languages. That's great advice if you're app is about to be exposed to a wide audience.

Check out Apple's localization videos from WWDC, or see a tutorial I compiled here. See you at WWDC!

We'll localize your first app for 10% off

Any language $0.21 per word
iOS Dev Weekly readers: $0.19 for your first project!

The not-so-fine print.

What do I have to do?

Sign up for our free developer portal by WWDC 2016. Then, mention this promo when you request your first localization. You must send us your strings and pay for the project by July 31, 2016. That gives you plenty of time to get your project ready for localization! Use our free knowledge base tools to help. This discount is for new clients only.

Access the dev portal

It's free and gives you as many pseudolocalizations as you could ever want!

What's the dev portal do?

 

The more we know...

Our translations are better than most because we make a lot more effort to answer translators' questions and give the proper context or screenshots in-line as they work.

If you don't send us context (shame on you!) we do our best to fill in these blanks for you.

 

The right tools for the job

Our translators use in-house tools that preserve your code and tags unchanged.

Updates are easy too — just send us your latest source strings and we'll take care of the rest!

Common questions

Which languages should I choose?

The most popular 10 localization languages are… Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Russian, and Dutch. It depends on your target and your budget, and especially who is already downloading your app. Check iTunes Connect and select languages based on countries where you are already popular. Those are the best markets for you to start with.

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How long will it take to localize my app?

It depends on the number of words in the app, not the number of languages. (We assign each language to a native, professional app translator from our team, and all translators will work on your localization simultaneously.) Generally, an app of 500 words will take just 3 business days. 5,000 words will take a couple of weeks. We're much faster than your QA period, so that's a good time to begin when all your strings and error messages are finalized.

What about my app description?

Yes, send that too! It counts for the promo. And don't forget your KEYWORDS. You'll need those to be localized for discovery in the App Store.

What about updates to my app?

We handle those too, and it's a snap! Just send us the latest, complete English strings. You'll be charged only for what's new and changed. We never charge for duplicate lines.

What about my Android app?

The discount is valid for all types of apps. Did we mention we don't charge for duplicate lines? If your Android and iOS app share a lot of identical strings, it shouldn't cost much at all! Promo is good for one project, which we define as all the translations completed on a single invoice.

What about my Windows app?

Really? You are a unique iOS Dev Weekly reader! Yes, we localize anything with strings, including websites, Windows, Java, even Symbian. Just let me dust off the ol’ typewriter and we'll post your invoice within the fortnight!