Post by habiba123820 on Nov 6, 2024 3:53:32 GMT -5
For mobile app developers, UI localization can be the most crucial step in making your app successful in the global market. The following UI localization best practices will ensure you avoid all the common mistakes that many developers and product managers make at this stage. From design to translation to implementation, these are the tactics that will keep your localization process efficient, cost-effective, and on pace for global launch dates.
Top 10 UI Localization Best Practices to Follow
1. Design with internationalization in mind.
By the time most people look at the UI localization process, they’re already past the point of following this best practice—but it’s absolutely critical to include it on this list. Even before a company is set on global growth, it’s always a good idea to design the user interface with an international audience in mind. Developers wordpress web design agency don’t often think about design choices from a non-native speaker’s perspective, but they should. This results in having to disambiguate more than you normally would, but it leads to a clearer interface in English and an easier translation process later. Internationalization should be a top priority during the design phase. We recommend thinking about things like text expansion and data formatting now so you don’t have to make adaptations later. You may not know where to start with these steps, but rest assured that there are localization experts who specialize in getting things right from the start and ensuring global success.
2. Determine whether the location is really worth it in all cases.
The truth is that not every product needs to be localized. Even if localized versions are available, certain products perform better in their original languages anyway. Video games are a striking example. Software tools for scientists are another matter. Scientists often operate in the lingua franca of English, regardless of what other languages they speak. It would be a complete waste of money to localize a scientific application when the English version would work just as well and would be accepted as a universal standard. Early in the design process, ask yourself which of your international audiences really want the user interface of this product to be localized. If the answer is “no” for a specific market, you can skip the entire process and still succeed in that locale. In these cases, paying attention to marketing localization can be much more valuable.
3. Research key terms in your target languages.
There are many ways to instruct a user to “tap” or “click” within a user interface. What words will your translators use to represent universal concepts like “login” or “account”? You’ll want to make sure your user interface uses the same tried-and-true terms that are used in other applications in that target language. Do your research to find out what these terms might be, and make sure they’re used consistently by translators throughout the localization process. If you’re looking for a foolproof strategy, consider following this trusted template when building your term bases and style guides: Microsoft has made all of its user interface glossaries public. Use their example as a template to minimize effort when developing your own.
4. Keep clear records of your key terminology.
You also need to establish standards for the rest of the terminology that will be incorporated into the interface. Every command in the user interface is important. Users need a consistent experience that helps them intuit what each command means and where it will eventually lead them. Normally, you’d want to avoid disagreements between linguists about which terms to use, but in this case, we encourage a full debate—at least during the preliminary stages of defining key terms. Encourage your linguists to go head-to-head and determine the best way to phrase each command. Require that they do solid research on these terms and reference points from other native applications. Once you’ve made your decisions, a good translation vendor will help you lock everything in with comprehensive style guides and ensure that your terminology bases are always up to date.
Top 10 UI Localization Best Practices to Follow
1. Design with internationalization in mind.
By the time most people look at the UI localization process, they’re already past the point of following this best practice—but it’s absolutely critical to include it on this list. Even before a company is set on global growth, it’s always a good idea to design the user interface with an international audience in mind. Developers wordpress web design agency don’t often think about design choices from a non-native speaker’s perspective, but they should. This results in having to disambiguate more than you normally would, but it leads to a clearer interface in English and an easier translation process later. Internationalization should be a top priority during the design phase. We recommend thinking about things like text expansion and data formatting now so you don’t have to make adaptations later. You may not know where to start with these steps, but rest assured that there are localization experts who specialize in getting things right from the start and ensuring global success.
2. Determine whether the location is really worth it in all cases.
The truth is that not every product needs to be localized. Even if localized versions are available, certain products perform better in their original languages anyway. Video games are a striking example. Software tools for scientists are another matter. Scientists often operate in the lingua franca of English, regardless of what other languages they speak. It would be a complete waste of money to localize a scientific application when the English version would work just as well and would be accepted as a universal standard. Early in the design process, ask yourself which of your international audiences really want the user interface of this product to be localized. If the answer is “no” for a specific market, you can skip the entire process and still succeed in that locale. In these cases, paying attention to marketing localization can be much more valuable.
3. Research key terms in your target languages.
There are many ways to instruct a user to “tap” or “click” within a user interface. What words will your translators use to represent universal concepts like “login” or “account”? You’ll want to make sure your user interface uses the same tried-and-true terms that are used in other applications in that target language. Do your research to find out what these terms might be, and make sure they’re used consistently by translators throughout the localization process. If you’re looking for a foolproof strategy, consider following this trusted template when building your term bases and style guides: Microsoft has made all of its user interface glossaries public. Use their example as a template to minimize effort when developing your own.
4. Keep clear records of your key terminology.
You also need to establish standards for the rest of the terminology that will be incorporated into the interface. Every command in the user interface is important. Users need a consistent experience that helps them intuit what each command means and where it will eventually lead them. Normally, you’d want to avoid disagreements between linguists about which terms to use, but in this case, we encourage a full debate—at least during the preliminary stages of defining key terms. Encourage your linguists to go head-to-head and determine the best way to phrase each command. Require that they do solid research on these terms and reference points from other native applications. Once you’ve made your decisions, a good translation vendor will help you lock everything in with comprehensive style guides and ensure that your terminology bases are always up to date.
