Reaching a global audience requires more than translation—it demands thoughtful localization that makes your app feel native to users across languages and cultures. These six tips will help you build multilingual apps that resonate worldwide.
One powerful approach is using Adalo to streamline multilingual app development. Adalo is a no-code app builder for database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps—one version across all three platforms, published to the Apple App Store and Google Play. This means you can localize once and deploy everywhere, reaching users in their preferred language across web, iOS, and Android simultaneously.
When your localized app launches in the app stores, you gain access to massive global audiences and push notifications to keep international users engaged—key ingredients for app success.
Adalo Experts (our team of no-code freelancers) are located all over the world, and typically work with clients that may want apps in languages other than English. In this blog, we will unpack our best practices to help you with how to build apps in different languages and across different cultures.
How do you localize a mobile app?
Mobile app localization is what allows an app to support multiple languages. Most apps are built with the assumption that users’ communicate in English, supporting only English can limit your app in terms of users and downloads. Many potential app users from non-English-speaking countries probably won’t even find your app in the app store if the only language it’s available in is English. If you’re building apps for clients that need an app in a language that you aren’t familiar with, you’ll need mobile app localization to help you build it out.
Localizing mobile apps goes far, far beyond just simple translation. While translation focuses on simply translating text from one language to another, localization makes sure that the overall user experience of your app, its elements, features, copy, graphics, and descriptions are all customized to a users’ language and cultural preferences.
Localization shouldn’t be an afterthought!
One of the biggest struggles with creating multilingual apps is that the localization process is treated as an afterthought. For example, if the app is designed with an English UI, and a client needs you customize it to suit another language, you’ll need to go through the localization process in retrospect.
This can be much harder because you’ll need to rework the design process, mock-ups and prototypes to take a new audience and language into consideration. It’s not impossible, but it’ll definitely take more effort. If you follow these best practices, we hope you’ll be able to build multilingual apps for your clients that they love, and that their users genuinely want to use.
- Do your audience research
If you’re wondering how to do user research, you’re already asking the right questions! Conducting user research involves understanding your potential app users’ needs, interests, and culture.
Read about customs, cultural taboos, preferences, and humor. Do some research on phrases, humor, and instructions for mobile apps. Check out popular apps for that audience and see what they have in common. If it’s possible, schedule an interview with a few potential app users and ask them how they use mobile apps, what features they like, and what aspects of the app to pay extra attention to!
- Keep it short and simple
Building an app in a different language isn’t easy. You don’t have to aim to be a native speaker if you’re figuring out how to write UX copy! Your target audience will find it easier to understand your app if you keep the language simple. If you’re using a translation software, it’ll be much easier to use short phrases. It you’re using slang, cultural references or puns, make sure you run it by a native speaker. The rule of thumb is that the more you simplify, the easier your content is to translate and localize.
- Pay attention to the visuals
A big part of mobile apps is dependent on the visuals. Different cultures can interpret illustrations, icons, colors, and pictures in different ways. As far as you can, select visual elements that don’t have ambiguous meanings! When choosing colors for your mobile app, keep in mind that cultural context will impact how your app is perceived.
For example, some the ‘cart’ icon is often used for ecommerce apps in the US, however in Asia, users typically find the ‘shopping bag’ icon easier to comprehend. If you’re including images of people, try and make them relatable and local. Lifestyle images, landmarks, and product shots need to be localized to ensure that your app is relevant to its audience.
- Be consistent
Commit to sticking to the same phrases for UX copy as you go through the app. Meaning that if you’re using the word ‘Next’ on a navigation button, don’t use ‘Proceed’ somewhere else. Pay attention to consistency as far as colors, phrasing, and instructions go, which will make your user experience a lot more seamless and efficient.
- Save space for translated text
Translated text may not always take up the same amount of space as you expect. A popular example is the German phrase for ‘Add to cart’, which is translated to ‘in den Warenkorb legen’ which is twice as long!
Many Asian languages, on the other hand, may have shorter phrasing than English, and can be more complex as far as typography goes, which means they’ll need to be larger fonts. To minimize the confusion, leave some extra space to handle translated text without trading off the visual design.
- Test your localized app at every stage!
Before you pat yourself on the back for a job well done (which you should definitely do!), make sure you test your prototype out as much as you can. Have potential users review your mockups, see how they interact with your designs, and gather as much feedback as you possibly can!
Get insights from Adalo Experts
Well-designed multilingual apps allow you to reach a larger audience, and potentially work with more clients. This can be an important step to unlocking new business opportunities and creating a more diverse portfolio of work for your mobile app development agency.
Adalo is a no-code app builder for database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps—one version across all three platforms, published to the Apple App Store and Google Play. The Adalo App Academy has some incredible free resources to help you set up, launch, and grow your business. Learn more about scaling your mobile app development agency, how to manage time, productivity hacks, and so much more!
FAQ
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Can I easily build multilingual apps for different languages and cultures? | Yes, with Adalo's No Code App Builder, you can easily build multilingual apps for different languages and cultures. Adalo's flexible design tools allow you to customize your app's UI, text, visuals, and layout to accommodate various languages and cultural preferences without needing to code. |
| Why choose Adalo over other App Builder solutions? | Adalo is a no-code app builder for database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps—one version across all three platforms, published to the Apple App Store and Google Play. This means you can build and localize your app once and deploy it everywhere. Publishing to app stores is key to marketing and distribution, which is often the hardest part of launching a new app or business—Adalo makes this process seamless, giving you a major advantage over competitors. |
| What's the fastest way to build and publish a localized multilingual app to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store? | Adalo is the fastest way to build and publish a localized multilingual app to the Apple App Store and Google Play. With No Code App Builder's drag-and-drop interface and AI-assisted building, you can go from idea to published app in days rather than months. Adalo handles the complex App Store submission process, so you can focus on your app's features and user experience instead of wrestling with certificates, provisioning profiles, and store guidelines. |
| What is the difference between app translation and app localization? | Translation simply converts text from one language to another, while localization is a comprehensive process that customizes the entire user experience. Localization includes adapting visuals, icons, colors, cultural references, and UX copy to match your target audience's language and cultural preferences. |
| Why should I consider localization early in the app development process? | Treating localization as an afterthought can make the process much harder and more time-consuming. If you design with localization in mind from the start, you'll avoid having to rework mockups, prototypes, and the overall design to accommodate new languages and audiences later. |
| How should I handle translated text that's longer or shorter than the original? | Different languages vary significantly in text length—for example, German phrases are often twice as long as English equivalents, while some Asian languages may be shorter but require larger fonts. Leave extra space in your design to accommodate these variations without compromising the visual layout. |
| What visual elements should I consider when localizing my app? | Colors, icons, illustrations, and images can have different meanings across cultures. For example, the 'cart' icon common in US ecommerce apps may be less recognizable than a 'shopping bag' icon in Asian markets. Use culturally relevant imagery and avoid ambiguous visual elements to ensure your app resonates with your target audience. |
