Choosing the right method and platform for localizing mobile apps as well as working this essential aspect of marketing into the forethought of development of the app may both be highly overlooked until the day comes when you decide that your downloads and revenue are not where you had hoped they would be.

According to February 2013 reports from Xyologic, a mobile app search firm, the countries with the highest amount of mobile app downloads outside of the U.S. include China, Japan, Korea, Spain and Russia. The United States only made up for approximately 30% of mobile app downloads worldwide. China led the iPhone and iPad app downloads trailing just behind the U.S.

Take a look at some of the more successful apps on the market, such as Moxtra, which recently localized its productivity app in 18 languages. The co-founder of Moxtra stated that the company wanted to enhance user experience with the strong global interest in the app and believes localization was critical for a customizable and collaborative app such as Moxtra. This is the type of business decision that has increased downloads and popularity of the most successful apps in the marketplace.

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Take the Necessary Steps to Localize and Monetize Your App

1. If you are in the development process, consider localization before going to market. Typically, users in other countries will want to experience apps in their native language. Tip: Users in Asian countries prefer downloading apps in their native languages over those that are not localized. If you are not ready to localize in multiple languages or are on a tight budget, consider localizing in these country’s native languages first, then you can localize in other languages once you determine what the response is for your app. Chinese should be your first choice since they lead the number of app downloads outside of the U.S.
2. Don’t forget about your marketing content. Your website should be localized as well as advertising and your Apple Store meta data. Monetizing your app requires effective marketing and it may take much more than just localizing the app itself. Reach out to your users with localized marketing content that is valuable to them to improve downloads.
3. Make sure your localization and translations are done by native speakers in the languages you plan to market to. Machine translators will not suffice and may turn off your users because they will not capture the variances and native structure of the language.

Whether you have already developed your app and it is in the Apple Store or you are in the process of developing your app, TraductoPro makes app localization and content translation faster and easier than ever before. You can use TraductoPro for both app localization and content localization while managing all of your projects from within the app.

Because TraductoPro has built-in human translation services, you can be confident that the translations will be as accurate as possible. An added plus is that if you are new to Xcode localization, TraductoPro automates the process of making your Xcode strings localizable for you. This is one of the most time consuming and painful aspects of app localization, which we’ve made faster and simpler.

Try out TraductoPro and submit a case study and we’ll give you a 10% discount on the download, plus $500 in free marketing for your localized app. Click here for more info.

When most marketers, writers and app developers create their work or product, localization is usually not considered until the later stages of the marketing process. Even then, there is much research to be done to find out how to do it, who will do it, and what the costs will be. Most find that they need to outsource or hire a company that specializes in content translation or app localization, and the costs can run into thousands of dollars, particularly if you need localization in many languages.

TraductoPro was created to provide the best possible localization and translation of content. While there are several machine translation apps for the Mac, machine translations do not represent the nuances of the language and grammatical structure. TraductoPro’s built-in human translation service is the key to effectively and accurately communicating with your global audiences.

Translating and Localizing Content with Traducto

Traducto is free to download and has built-in human translation, which can be ordered directly through the app. When you upload your document, you can order translations in sixteen of the worlds most popular languages.

Depending on the amount of words, the translations are affordable and are typically returned within 24 to 48 hours.

If you want to localize content from your website, or create a website that is localized in many languages, or translate e-books or marketing documents, Traducto is an essential tool for getting it done fast and at a reasonable cost.

Video on Features of Traducto

Localizing Apps with TraductoPro

TraductoPro was created to ease the pain and time in localizing apps for developers. It automates the process of making Xcode strings localizable and is a useful interface for managing all localization projects.

Note: Although it is a Mac app, Mac users can also translate Android apps using TraductoPro by submitting the content to the built-in human translation service.

TraductoPro is also used to localize app store meta data and marketing content for developers because once the app is localized, you will also need to market it to the users in the languages you have localized the app via your website, press releases, app store content, and more.

Video on How to Use TraductoPro

As developers and marketers, we created these two essential tools to make localizing content and apps painless and affordable.

Firstly, we would like to thank the creator of PDF Nomad for using TraductoPro for a large scale localization project, which brought to our attention the need for some improvements.

In the case study from PDF Nomad, the developer encountered the following issues:

• Unresponsiveness when dealing with a large project
• Communication issues with TraductoPro servers
• Some miscommunications on native speaker and professional level translations delivered
• Error guidance issues when syncing between the Xcode project and data within TraductoPro
• Longer translation return times than was expected

In response to the above issues, our support team updated TraductoPro to meet the following criteria:

1. We quickly solved our server issues by optimizing the server to handle larger project submissions, in particular quote requests.
2. We refactored our app collection view to improve performance for large Xcode projects.
3. We brought translation issues to our translation partners for resolving and improving the quality of the translations.

We sent the requests to our developers immediately. The release of TraductoPro 1.1.3 was delivered soon after we received notice of the issues identified by the PDF Nomad project.

Some Tips on Avoiding Translation Errors with TraductoPro

1. Try to provide the proper context for all strings for the translations so that the translators fully understand the deliverables.
2. Be sure to answer any questions sent by translators in a timely manner so they can be resolved before the translations are completed.

Important Note: The service is designed to bring back translations as quickly as possible and the translators will deliver the translations even if there is no response to their questions. However, in most cases translators will revise their translations even if they receive your reply shortly after they completed the job.

In addition, during your first project in TraductoPro, always report all issues to our support team as they occur so we can either help you learn about any tricks with the app or further improve the app and our localization services. Typically, after you use the app one time, all proceeding projects should be a breeze.

In other case studies received from developers, there were few, if any, issues using TraductoPro, and TraductoPro is designed to save considerable time and effort in localizing Xcode projects. We’ve designed the app to be as simple as possible to use, but If at any time you find using the app is not what you expect, our goal is to make it the best localization tool available to Mac and iOS app developers, so please do not hesitate to contact support.

Internationalization is the process by which you adapt your app to various languages, which involves localization. Localization is adapting your internationalized app by adding locale-specific components and translating the text and other user options in multiple languages. Without internationalization, you may be limiting the market share of your apps because, even within some countries, there are many languages and cultures. Most users will want to download apps in their native languages, so whether you are internationalizing your app to meet various cultures or to market the app globally, localization is the key to internationalizing your app.

Internationalizing iOS and Mac Apps with TraductoPro

Fortunately, Apple has designed its platforms for internationalization. Using Xcode strings, we make them localizable for translating in various languages. Many developers do not want to spend the time to make Xcode strings localizable, thus, many apps are only developed in one or two languages.

TraductoPro saves considerable time in the process of localizing Xcode strings with our drag and drop interface. You can import existing Xcode projects, including existing translations and edit language files with a step by step guided process, or you can create a new Xcode project within TraductoPro.

TraductoPro can parse C, Objective–C, and Java code files with the .c, .m, or .java filename extensions and extract strings from Xib/Nib and Storyboard interface files, as well as properly formatted property files with .plist filename extensions.

Automating the Conversion of Strings into Localizable Strings (Macronization)

1. TraductoPro scans your code and finds all the relevant strings that could be localized.
2. You will then select which ones you want to be localizable, which will be highlighted in context to help you decide to localize it or not.
3. You can modify your strings keys, values, and comments during the process. Once selected, the strings will automatically convert into localizable strings.

Tips on Getting Accurate Translations with TraductoPro

Once your code is ready to submit to translators, you’ll find that TraductoPro will connect you directly through the shopping cart with certified human translators.

It is important to use the Comments feature in the panel when your order is placed. In some cases, the translator will send you a message and may need more context to translate appropriately. You can respond or leave comments for the translator directly from within the app.

Because TraductoPro is designed to speed up the localization process, it is critical that you check for comments and respond in a timely manner. If the translator does not get a response, they will proceed with the translation without the context provided.

In addition, if there are any specific context or instructions you want included in your translations, it is important for you to leave a comment for the translator.

The above tips will reduce to possibility of any translation errors with your project.

If you find you need more guidance as a beginner in localizing and internationalizing your apps, be sure to watch our video tutorials before you use TraductoPro or contact support at any time if you find any learning curves. We’re here to help you internationalize your apps and help you bring them to market faster than ever.

How much does it usually cost to hire a localization service provider?

The costs can range from $45 to $75 per hour to have your Xcode strings localized by a programmer or developer in the U.S., and translation of the app can cost $1000.00 or more depending on the size of the project. If you intend on localizing multiple apps in multiple languages, you can see how costly this could become.

If you are an iOS or Mac app developer who is new or experienced with the localization process, and have tried to localize your app on your own, you already know how much time is involved in the process and you may be thinking you need to outsource your Xcode localization project if you need to translate your strings in multiple languages to improve your app’s marketability and sales. Professional, native translators are always a necessity if you want your apps to truly appeal to geo-targeted users.

Visit our Time & Cost Savings Calculator to determine what it would cost you to localize your app.

Streamlining your iOS and Mac app localization while saving money.

Typically, the most time consuming process in localization is making the Xcode strings localizable. Most developers we’ve received case studies and feedback from already developed their apps in one language because they either didn’t even consider localizing or they didn’t want to consider the process until after development due to the time involved and/or the cost of hiring a localization service. We all want to bring our products to market in the fastest way possible at the least cost.

TraductoPro was developed for all of these reasons. We wanted to bring a streamlined, automated process for localization to iOS and Mac app developers along with certified human translation services because we knew that internationalizing apps would be a major concern in the future. Since U.S. downloads of apps only make up around 28% of the world’s market share, all app developers would need to consider localization to reach users in groups among the remaining 70% of the app market.

The primary benefits of using TraductoPro to localize all of your Xcode projects is the ability to manage multiple projects from one interface. You can localize in multiple languages in half the time it would take to do it on your own or the costs to hire a traditional translation or localization service.

Don’t forget about localizing your website and marketing content.

It is one thing to localize your apps, but what about your website content and other marketing documents? This is important for search engine optimization in other countries you intend to market your apps to as well as advertising or reaching app store users you intend to geo-target. Save yourself the cost and improve your return on investment more quickly by adding your content for translation along with your Xcode projects in TraductoPro.

Source: Flurry.com

It’s no surprise that global markets or non-English speaking countries top the charts on new smartphone and tablet downloads, and if your apps are not localized to meet the needs of these foreign users, you may be cutting yourself short of a considerable amount of revenue for your apps.

Since we launched TraductoPro, we have received some feedback and case studies that indicate some interesting facts about how developers perceive the process and task involved in localizing their apps.

Our studies show that initially there is hesitation from app developers in adopting localization as a norm in the forethought of development as well as in their marketing plan for their apps. In light of this, since 2011, the growth of opportunity for multi-lingual apps has exploded, but many developers are reluctant to localize apps because of lack of knowledge about the process or knowing that the process is very painful and costly.

Ultimately, reluctance among developers to adopt localization as a primary component to their app marketing plan is the perception of time and cost in the process. In addition, a possible lack of understanding of how and why localization is done. Our localization case studies indicate that developers did not know where to start with localization, and there is much controversy over what the best way or service is for localization.

This is the very reason TraductoPro was created. Whether you have a large scale app development company or service, or you are just an innovative app developer, our tool was designed to make localization a possibility that was never readily available to iOS and Mac app developers before. And it has come at a time when localization is necessary for expanding downloads and app usage among the largest growing portion of the global app market – non-English speaking countries.

The Apple store statistics and many other resource data show that Asian speaking countries prefer localized, native apps, and they are among the top 5 in global growth in app downloads. These statistics may come at a surprise to many U.S. developers, but are a true indication that localization will become the primary factor in the success of app marketing. There is no better time than now to tap into this growing international app market.

Release notes:

Features and improvements:

• Major performance improvements for processing projects with large number of strings
• Refreshing translations performance improvements
• Removing languages from projects performance improvements
• Export to Xcode performance improvements
• Leaving text fields in the Edit Default Language and Edit Translation screens performance improvements
• Improved visual feedback by highlighting project item on mouse over
• Improved memory management
• Improved progress reporting during Xcode Export
• Improved error reporting of ibtool errors
• Added Email Us link on the app interface for quick email support
• Xcode Export now warns user if they attempt to navigate away during an export operation

Bug fixes:

• Fixed problem where ordering projects with large numbers of strings often resulted in network timeout errors
• When a word count cannot be obtained from the server during checkout Traducto now asks the user if it should re-try, instead of beach-balling
• Fixed problem where Xcode ‘Export’ button was sometimes unresponsive
• Fixed crash during Xcode Export on some large projects
• Fixed percentage done calculation in Document projects when editing translations
• Fixed crash when clicking rapidly between toolbar items
• Display of multi-line translator messages is no longer truncated
• Translator messages now sorted chronologically in ascending order

Click here to Download TraductoPro now!

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