Month: November 2017

In the world today, everything crosses borders, from news to websites. Apps, mobile phone applications, get shared worldwide in minutes. But there’s a problem: Your app can’t talk to the people you want to use it.

The Limited App

The fastest way to let your app, and all the hard work that went into it, wither on the vine is to only have you app available in just one language. You might not care if the language that it’s in is a large one, like English, Arabic, or Mandarin, but if you wrote your app in a less widespread language, you might be limiting your reach.

Getting your app translated into multiple languages can increase your market and your market share. You might be able to grow your market from a few million to a few billion just by adding new languages.

Localization vs. Translation

Localization is a term that is more precise for the needs of an app designer. By having your app localized, it is able to appear native. Cultural references can be adjusted, every item on the app can become part of the new locale, and the app will feel more comfortable to the end users.

Translation, as in the kind that is often done by machines, doesn’t offer the subtlety that a native speaker is able to bring to the project. It’s not just words, but the feel and structure of an app that might need  to be adjusted and addresses. For example, if the language changes from a left to right to a right to left language, there might be structural changes that need to be addressed to make the app feel natural.

How to Get Your App Localized

The trick to getting your app translated, or localized, is having a professional how can make each part of the app appear native. While it’s rarely evident after all the work is done, there are dozens of error screens, small bits of text and other places where the language and structure needs to be addressed and corrected.

Firstly, don’t use a machine to translate your app. While this might seem simple and inexpensive, a machine is not going to be able to handle all of the structural changes that are needed to make the native and natural.

Secondly, you will want to look for a localization company with experience and  with the native translators and staff to be able to ensure that every aspect of your app is perfect. You need a team that won’t need a lot of direction and can handle making decisions well.

One important aspect is to make sure that your localization project has and experienced project manager. This will be the person who oversees your project to ensure that each element is handled in a timely and efficient manner. This single point of contact and responsibility will make your project run more smoothly and cleanly.

Localization is an important part of getting your app into more hands and creating an empire. The key to the process is to find a team that is able to keep your app looking and functioning will in every regional and locale.

You see it every day, but you probably don’t think about it. There are literally millions of items in the world that have been created with desktop publishing (DTP). Flyers, brochures, business cards, advertisements, you name it, it’s created with desktop publishing.

What Desktop Publishing Means to a Business?

A professional designer can create DTP items that are amazing. They work with images, text, and layouts that allow you to simply print the item out and it’s look amazing.

Not so long ago, to have anything created and printed meant that you had to hire a team. A designer would create it. A layout person would set it up. A printer would prepare it for offset printing. It was expensive and time consuming.

Today, a professional designer can use powerful programs and knowledge to create these same items in days, even hours, and have them delivered to you digitally. From there, you can simply hit print on the item and print out right in your office.

There are several reasons that the power of DTP is amazing for your company:

1. Cost – Hiring a professional designer to DTP is relatively cheap. It requires that you just know a bit of what you want and hire the right person. What used to take a team weeks can now be done by one person for a fraction of the cost.
2. Responsiveness – If the market or your situation demands, a DTP designer can create something for you that is timely and still very professional-looking. If the local football team wins a championship, a local school gets an award, or a local celebrity gets the big movie role, you are able to have marketing materials that capitalize on the news of the day.
3. Professional – Rather than having something that looks like you put it together on your computer, you can hire a professional to design something that looks amazing and will impress everyone who sees it.
4. Translation – At AfroLingo, we are also able to make sure that your words are translated well. Because our translators are native speakers, they are able to make sure that cultural references will hit the mark along with language that is perfectly translated.

Types of items that be created with DTP

There are literally hundreds of items that can be created. Here’s a partial list: 

• Brochures
• Flyers
• Ads
• Logos
• Business cards
• Letterhead
• Catalogs
• Directories
• Books
• E-books
• Presentations
• Resumes
• Proposals
• Labels
• Banners
• Greeting cards