Today we’ve apps to keep a tab on our food intake, fitness goals, food delivery, banking, entertainment, work, personal grooming sessions and anything imaginable under the sun. The proliferation of smartphones, generative AI, and advancements in app development have made apps an indispensable part of everyday life. An average person spends 5 hours in a day on apps. Millennials and GenZs in particular rely on apps for smooth functioning of their day-to-day life.
With essential apps like banking and ecommerce available in languages other than English, apps are also bridging the digital divide and making convenience accessible to both English and native language users. However, issues in app translation still exist and this is where Reverie Language Technologies with its cutting-edge and innovative language platforms is making a difference.
In this blog we explore the world of mobile apps and the challenges in app translation. The early smartphones with basic apps like games, calendar, task list, and contact list were practical but lacked the sophistication today’s new age apps offer. The introduction of Apple’s App Store and Google Play in 2008 gave birth to the app ecosystem as we know it today. These app stores gave developers a global marketplace which pushed them to come up with new innovations in the app development space. The apps we interact with today are interactive, intuitive, user-friendly, and engaging making it the primary customer engagement platform. Smartphone penetration beyond urban areas fueled by the introduction of mobile data and 5G connectivity led to a growing non-English speaking smartphone user base. One thing led to the other and soon there was a pressing need to develop multilingual apps to cater to this new native language speaking audience. Developers faced a plethora of challenges in app translation, more so in the context of Indian languages. Lets deep dive into app translation problems and their solutions.
App Translation
Simply put, app translation means translating your app’s text interface from one language to another. For example, translating all the text on your fashion app store from English to Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati, Bengali etc. Translating apps is essential for better customer engagement and loyalty. Popular ecommerce app Amazon for example is available in many other Indian languages other than English. An app in a user’s native language encourages them to interact with your app and get the information they are looking for in a language they are comfortable with.
Challenges in App Translation
Technical Limitations
Apps are often lightweight and have space and technical framework constraints. The same text in English when translated into a different language may take up less or more space than the original text, disrupting the design flow. Also, translating an app in multiple languages can be a bit tricky when it comes to maintaining consistency in terminology and tonality across different languages.
Businesses can overcome these limitations by investing in localisation platforms such as Reverie’s Anuvadak – an API based platform for app localisation supporting all official Indian languages. These platforms use a comprehensive translation memory system which utilizes advanced translation systems to store pre-translated terms and phrases and create SDKs which can be directly integrated into the app.
Cultural Relevance
Translating an app into a native language is just the starting point, it takes care of converting text appearing in English into a native language, in this case lets say Hindi. A simple translation does not take care of the cultural nitty gritties. Colour scheme, images, tag line etc may have a different inference in different cultures at times leading to misunderstandings and loss of brand reputation. This is where apps need to go beyond translation and do context-aware translations.
Let’s understand this with an example:
There is an idiom in English – The grass is always greener on the other side. If simply translated in Hindi it will read as below:
घास दूसरी तरफ़ हमेशा हरी होती है
This will however not make sense if translated as is. The correct Hindi idiom translation for this English idiom is as given below:
दूर के ढोल सुहावने लगते हैं
Using intelligent language technology platforms that do context-aware translations and utilise both human and machine translation capabilities translating apps that are both accurate and culturally relevant this is possible.
Real-time Translation for Dynamic Apps
Most ecommerce apps have new user reviews, new product listings, festive sale, product description and other content which is dynamic in nature. Ensuring that all new data is translated in real-time with accuracy can be a major challenge.
Utilising AI-led translation models that can automatically translate any new content in real-time can help developers overcome this challenge. Reverie’s Translation API automatically translates dynamic content in real-time utilising AI-models that learn and improve continuously.
Reverie : Simplifying App Translation and Localisation
Apps have become an integral part of modern life with both native language speakers and English language speakers using them extensively. Building multilingual apps is no more a matter of choice, it is a necessity.
With the advancement of language technologies and integration of AI (artificial intelligence) having an impeccably translated app is no more a distant dream. Reverie Language Technologies specialises in AI-first language technologies for Indian languages. Reverie’s Anuvadak and Translation API enable app builders to seamlessly translate and localise apps. To know more about Reverie’s localisation capabilities connect with the team today.
Faqs
Like websites, can mobile apps also be translated into different languages?
Yes, today with advancement in language technologies and ready to use Translation APIs like Reverie’s translating mobile apps is possible?
Is app translation and localisation different?
Yes, translation involves just translating the text interface of an app. Localisation refers to localising all the elements such as color, imagery, and other elements keeping the cultural nuances in mind.
Does Reverie offer mobile app localisation services?
Yes, Reverie language technologies Anuvadak platform enables developers to localise mobile apps in all officially recognised Indian languages.
Is it possible to translate both Android and iOS apps using Reverie’s translation API?
Yes, Reverie’s Translation API is built for both Android and iOS.
