How to Localize an App or Game? Top Ten Free E-learning Sources

Wondering how to get into localization? We make things easier for you. Here’s a short-list of our picks from free e-learning sources. Help yourself, and best of luck with your localization!

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The new year means new plans and new prospects. And if you were considering localizing your product last year, it might be the right time to take action instead of postponing it indefinitely.

That’s why we at Alconost have prepared a list of free e-learning resources that are sure to help explore the topic of localization and ultimately equip you to manage the whole process on your own. We use some of these courses for our internal training, and we hope you like them, too.

We’ve arranged the e-learning resources in an order that consecutively mirrors the localization process. We recommend that you go down the list step by step for best results.

1

Free Udacity Course by Google

This course is a perfect match for newbies to localization: localization project managers, operation managers, linguists and language managers, developers and product managers, vendor managers, business owners, entrepreneurs, and many others. In simple, down-to-earth language the experts at Google explain the essentials of localization and its key linguistic and technical aspects. By the end of the course, you will have a clear understanding of the main localization concepts, the business goals that localization helps to achieve, and the standard localization process.

2

Free Udacity Course by Google

Originally created for developers, this video tutorial consisting of several free modules is ideal for everyone working on the product side: developers, localization managers, and product and business owners. In other words, it’s useful for those who have an awesome product and are seeking opportunities to expand into other markets. If this sounds like you, then this course should be placed on your learning list.

3

Google Play Guide for Localization

This checklist is a manual for anyone who is preparing to launch an app in multiple languages on Google Play. It guides you through the whole development cycle from planning to testing, and underscores the touchpoints relevant to localization. Going through the checklist is also useful for app developers who are not currently planning localization, but are not ruling it out for the future. Remember, knowing some localization tricks from day one might save you a fortune in the long term.

4

Tutorial by Alconost

If you still think that localization is only about translating your product, then you’d better read this article right now. Because there are plenty of related technical UI and development issues that can come to light when it comes to localization. And knowing them sooner rather than later can save you time and effort.

This article by Alconost explains the most common and painful design mistakes that emerge at the localization stage and impede its workflow. Written initially for game developers and product managers, this tutorial is also 99% applicable to the app development process. In fact, these ten rules are the core internationalization (or “i18n”) essentials — a must-read if you are studying this topic.

5

Tips from Market Finder by Google

This article from the Think with Google knowledge base will be helpful for those working on the development side: CTOs, developers, project managers, UI designers, QA specialists, and many others. Whether or not you’re familiar with the terms “internationalization” and “i18n,” the article has something helpful for you. It provides useful tips for the internationalization of websites and apps and explains how to design interfaces that can subsequently be localized.

6

Tutorial by Alconost

Another article by Alconost provides a market-based list of the most trendy languages for app localization and localization case-studies. At the same time, it suggests a balanced approach between market statistics and corporate needs when choosing languages for localization. At the risk of repeating ourselves, it’s highly recommended to determine possible languages for your future product before you even start designing it.

7

Free Udemy Course by Janhavi Savant from Droid Guru

This is a very practical course dedicated to setting the in-app language selection option. A short one-hour tutorial also outlines the advantages of multilingual apps and explains how to set up multilingual support. This course is recommended for all app developers and project managers designing global products.

8

Guide from Market Finder by Google

This step-by-step guide for website localization is also applicable to the localization workflow in general. It explains how to set up the process, select and manage the team, and control localization quality. The tutorial also contains some practical tips on how to select the right localization vendor and is highly useful for localization managers, product managers, and business owners.

9

Tips from Market Finder by Google

Once the work is done, it’s important to know how to evaluate it. That is why localization testing is a vital part of software testing. This short guide by Market Finder pinpoints the crucial testing aspects to keep in mind: beta testing for UI, quality assurance, post-launch support for multi-language users after launch, and many more. Recommended for those responsible for full-fledged localization and accepting deliverables from localization vendors.

10

Stackoverflow questions tagged “localization”

Finally, have a look at the localization tasks your peers are working on. Stackoverflow provides a wide range of cases and how-tos posted and tagged as “localization” directly by developers. Bear in mind that these are mostly internationalization cases dealing with UI, programming, and design across various platforms. Regardless, it’s a great source of practical tips and community talks for those developing for multiple languages.

We hope you’ve found here many useful e-learning sources for localization. Happy learning, and we wish you every success with your localization projects! Cheers!

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