Localizing your app – a community language resource

Localizing your app – a community language resource

The term “localize your app” simply means to present the UI/text in your users’ local language, but where do you begin? Online translation sites and dictionaries can supply basic words, but sometimes the true meaning is lost in a language-specific subtlety, or the dictionary fails to understand which term you really need.

Fortunately, a group of Corona developers recognized this dilemma and, several years ago, started a Google spreadsheet to help with app localization. It provides you with commom translations for many words/terms used in apps, organized into categories. For example, if you need to localize your “Play” button into Spanish, the answer is “Jugar.” How about Russian? Simply scan across the row and find “Запустить.”

language-spreadsheet

Once you find the translated text you need, free plugins like GBC Language Cabinet can help you manage how to pick and display the correct text within your app.

This spreadsheet is a great example of “crowd-sourcing” and there is still work to be done — some languages are not yet complete, so we encourage you to help populate columns for languages which you’re fluent in.

View the spreadsheet

Rob Miracle
[email protected]

Rob is the Developer Relations Manager for Corona Labs. Besides being passionate about helping other developers make great games using Corona, he is also enjoys making games in his spare time. Rob has been coding games since 1979 from personal computers to mainframes. He has over 16 years professional experience in the gaming industry.

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