The world is going mobile – in fact, it already has. Still, the app economy is expected to double in size to $189 billion by 2020, according to market research site Statista.
With rapid smartphone penetration comes increasing mobile app usage worldwide, what’s the best way to capitalize on this growth? Leverage this opportunity with app localization.
An easy way to maximize global visibility and multiply downloads is to simply translate your mobile app, localizing it to different countries and languages. Mobile app localization can boost your App Store rankings, increase downloads and grow international revenue.
What is mobile app localization?
App localization refers to the process of adapting the interface and functionality of a mobile application to suit foreign language markets. The goal of mobile app localization is an app that:
- Takes linguistic, cultural and technical differences into consideration
- Doesn’t change the original intent or functionality of the original application
- Looks and functions like it was originally created for the target language
Essentially, your app is opened to millions of potential new users. This is the power of app localization.
Why localize your app?
Ninety percent of the apps on the App Store leaderboards are localized. It’s no surprise that users prefer to download and use apps in their own native language. The Apple App Store is currently available in over 150 countries and supports more than 40 languages, from German to Japanese. If you want to maximize your app’s revenue, you’re going to have to think bigger than just the English-speaking market.
Ninety percent of activity on mobile devices occurs in apps these days as opposed to browsers. However, the majority of apps are downloaded and deleted within minutes. Proper localization of your app, therefore, has never been more important. A properly translated app has the power to improve brand value and create meaningful interactions in your target customers’ native language.
Both the iTunes App Store and the Google Play Store provide options for localizing your app listing to make discoverability and readability easier for international consumers. As a result, more people will be able to find your app using keywords in their language and will be more likely to download if they see a welcome message in their own native tongue. Together, these two effects can add up to as much as a 767 percent increase in downloads.
One of the most powerful ways to increase the number of downloads of your app is to localize it. In fact, localizing iPhone application texts can multiply downloads by 128 percent and increase revenue by 26 percent per country, according to a recent study by Distomo.
Take advantage of the global app boom
The global app economy is extremely healthy – and that’s putting it mildly. From 2015 to 2017, there was a 60 percent rise in the number of apps downloaded globally, and this trend shows no signs of slowing down. Research shows that the average smartphone user has 80 apps on their phone at any one time, and the vast majority of these are in their native language. Localizing your app allows you to tap into this booming market.
Which languages should I localize into?
It pays to be aware of the general trends in the world of mobile apps when deciding what language to localize into.
According to statistics, by far the biggest market for apps right now is China, a country that downloads more than twice the amount of apps than anywhere else on the planet. If you want maximum exposure, localizing your mobile app into Mandarin Chinese is a safe bet.
Other prominent target languages for apps include Portuguese (specifically Brazilian Portuguese), Indonesian, Korean and Japanese. Be warned, however, app users in these countries are also some of the most likely to download and quickly delete, making the need for high-quality, accurate localization key.
iOS or Android?
With Gengo’s translation services and flexible pricing structure, it is both possible and surprisingly affordable to implement any iOS app localization or Android app localization, as well as any web app localization you may need.
The Apple App Store and the Google Play Store offer a multitude of language options for users to choose from, meaning whatever region you choose to target, you’re likely to be covered.
Gengo’s app localization services
Gengo makes app localization quick, easy and affordable. We’ve helped hundreds of the world’s leading brands localize their mobile apps.
- 21,000+ translators in almost every country on earth working on our sophisticated crowd platform
- Fastest turnaround times in the industry, you’ll get translations back in hours, not days
- High quality human translation at low, per-word rates
- Automates much of the translation process
- Get a clear overview of all of your content via customizable dashboards and reports
- Bundle and manage orders, keeping track of all project statuses
- Partners include: Transifex, PhraseApp, Memsource, and many more. Contact us to find out more about our partners
- End-to-end translation project management to guarantee every aspect of your project is completed efficiently and with high accuracy
- Team of experienced project managers will ensure your project is delivered on time and according to your expectations
- Custom timelines, translator teams and website localization tools
- Connect your app directly to Gengo via the translation API, and order translations without needing to use our order form
- Send large volumes of content to our translators in seconds
- Receive a substantial per-word discount versus website users
- Learn more about the Gengo API
App localization pricing
| LEVEL | PRICE PER WORD | QUALITY |
| STANDARD | From $0.06 | Accurate translation of your text by a native speaker. Price perfect to expand your business to new markets. |
| ADVANCED | From $0.12 | Professional translation for formal business use. Detailed attention to tone, subject, and meaning. |
Price perfect
Choose between two different levels of quality and pricing to match your app localization needs. All translators have been pre-tested for each level to ensure high quality translations.
| LEVEL | PRICE PER WORD | QUALITY |
| STANDARD | From $0.06 | Accurate translation of your text by a native speaker. Price perfect to expand your business to new markets. |
| ADVANCED | From $0.12 | Professional translation for formal business use. Detailed attention to tone, subject, and meaning. |
Trusted by global companies
“We placed that first test API order, it came back in seconds. It was such a great feeling to see how easy the process of getting the site translated has become with Gengo.” READ MORE
“We use Gengo to translate help articles and email templates for our vacation rental marketplace. We love the translation speed and quality.” READ MORE
