The Google Play Store app gives Android users the opportunity to browse and shop for just about any form of entertainment available – from games and music to books, magazines, movies, television programs and more. If you are a game developer with an app that is available through the Play Store, congratulations! This ensures that your game will have optimum visibility to a huge audience of potential players from around the world. And the best way to reach the highest number of potential players is by translating and localizing your store page listing. Fortunately, Google has provided a way to do just that. Follow the directions below to translate and localize your Google Play Store app.
To Add a Translation for Your Store Listing:
1. Sign in to your Play Console and select an app.
2. Click on Store presence > Store listing on the left menu.
3. Find “Product Details,” and click on Manage translations > Add your own translation text.
4. Select the desired language.
5. Add your translation.
6. Save the changes you’ve made.
After you’ve added the translation, any user with a language preference that matches your selected language will see the translated version of the app.
Another service that Google provides is an App Translation Service. This allows developers the option of purchasing a translation from Google while in the process of translating and localizing their store listing. A word of caution: this “translation service” is actually a machine translation. And while automated translations do have some limited uses – for tourists traveling in foreign countries, for example – you should know that using automated translation for your store listing is risky at best. Not only are machine translations notoriously inaccurate; they also don’t take into account the culture of the people you want to reach with your translation, which leads to our next topic.
You can also use the above procedure to add localized graphics to your store listing. It’s important to remember that translating involves more than simply changing languages. When you’re attempting to attract an audience of users from another country, you’ll need to keep in mind the differences in their culture, history, political climate and even religious preferences. Images and colors that are entirely appropriate inside the U.S. may be unacceptable or downright offensive to people in a different region of the world. That’s why it’s so important to localize your graphics – in other words, to use graphics that are acceptable and appropriate for your target audience.
Now that we’ve discussed the limitations of machine translation and the importance of localization, you may be wondering how you could possibly create translations and localized graphics all on your own. The answer is simple: you don’t have to do it alone. The first step is to contact a reputable translation company, preferably one with experience in working with developers. They can match your needs with an experienced translator/localization specialist. When it comes to connecting with potential users in different countries, nothing compares to the advantages of having a native speaker translate your text and make recommendations regarding changes to graphics. Only someone who is intimately familiar with a region and culture can have a thorough understanding of what is and isn’t acceptable. Fortunately, most reputable translation companies employ a large number of professional linguists, so it’s more than likely that they can connect you with a native speaker who can provide top-notch language translation, as well as localization services.
There’s no doubt about it: having your game available through the Google Play Store is a great opportunity. And the best way to maximize that potential is by providing high quality translations and localized graphics for your Play Store app!