Google's App Translation Service For Android Devs

Following a pilot program after its unveiling at Google's I/O conference in May, all Android developers are now able to access the App Translation Service that will allow for apps translation services to be purchased directly from the Google Play Developer Console. Each language translation has to be purchased seperately, and the app needs to be have completed Android's localisation checklist, which does not contain to many surprises and recommended standard internationalisation practices such as using a strings.xml file and making sure that an app's layout can support left-to-right and right-to-left languages.

Once a translation service is purchased, Google removes itself from the process and leave any further communication and dispute resolution to the developer and third-party translation service provider. "Your translations are a direct business agreement between you and your vendor; you'll need to work directly with the vendor to manage the translation process and deliverables and resolve any support issues," the localisation checklist warns. Not surprisingly, a trio of companies that took part in the pilot program said that they saw increased installs and usage from localising their apps.