When professional human translators take on the job of creating mobile apps in different languages, these specialized projects often require a specific approach that considers the design complexity of mobile apps, as well as the particular user base and how they will respond to translated text. When a company wants to reach local language communities with an mobile app, translation can be a core part of getting a project ready for release. Some simple tips can help companies pursue effective mobile app translations that work the way they are supposed to.
Do the Background Research
Before going ahead with mobile app translations, it’s extremely important for the company to know what kinds of language their targeted users have in common – beyond this, companies can also pursue what’s called ‘localization’ where they break down user groups into other demographics or identify different slang terms or dialect that may be popular among a user base, to really fine tune a project and its results.
Separate Text from Code
Many professional human translators are not advanced in handling raw code, but they are very good at translating words from one language to another. That means that for the most effective mobile app translations, some of the text for the app may need to be removed from its programming setting for translation. Some companies use simple spreadsheets to take out snippets of text that will be reinserted into code later, where others use specialized web hosted tools or other methods to sort out text that needs to be translated.
Plan for a Consistent Interface
One other very big tip for a mobile app translation is that all of the text on various screens or pages needs to be consistent in terms of format and appeal. That means looking at the individual phrases and sentences that will appear as the user makes his or her way through the app, to make sure that these will have the same kinds of sentence structures or formats that will be clearer to users – it also makes sense to make visual diagrams of how text will fit with graphics on any given app screen.
Define Common Terms
Having a list of definitions of common terms and spellings for ambiguous or most-used terms will also be a major part of effective mobile app translations – terms that may be used differently in different countries or language groups will need to be presented consistently and in ways that the largest segment of the user base can understand. That means having good reference materials that professional human translators can use to really achieve good results for these kinds of digital-based translation projects.
