Localizing iOS Apps

Localizing iOS Apps

Anthony Weissweissazool.com

[email protected]

Friday, November 9, 12

Why localize?


You make more money.


Fixed cost of translationvs.

Unlimited potential upside


Time investment:Minimal.


How to prepare your app for localization:

NSLocalizedString(key, comment)


labelExample.text = ! NSLocalizedString(@"NSLocalizedString() example", ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! @"Translate 'example' only");

if (papayas == 0) { papayaPlurality = NSLocalizedString(@"NoPapayas", ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! @"No papayas."); additionalComment = NSLocalizedString(@"How sad.", ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! @"Regretfulness");}return [NSString stringWithFormat:! ! ! ! NSLocalizedString(@"You have %d %@. %@", ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! @"Papaya possession"), ! ! ! ! papayas, papayaPlurality, additionalComment];


Comments can give your translators

context.


Everything’s in NSLocalizedString().

Now what?The genstrings command-line tool.


What’s genstrings?genstrings searches your code for macros related to

localization, including NSLocalizedString().


genstrings en.lprojgenstrings -o target-directory source-filesgenstrings -o target-directory other-source-files -a


/* Translate 'example' only */"NSLocalizedString() example" = ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! "NSLocalizedString() example";

/* No papayas. */"NoPapayas" = "papayas";

/* Regretfulness */"How sad." = "How sad.";

/* Papaya possession */"You have %d %@. %@" = "You have %1$d %2$@. %3$@";


/* Translate 'example' only */"NSLocalizedString() example" = "Ejemplo de ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! NSLocalizedString()";

/* No papayas. */"NoPapayas" = "papayas";

/* Regretfulness */"How sad." = "Que lástima. ";

/* Papaya possession */"You have %d %@. %@" = "%3$@Usted tiene %1$d %2$@.";


/* Papaya possession */"You have %d %@. %@" = "You have %1$d %2$@. %3$@";

/* Papaya possession */"You have %d %@. %@" = "%3$@Usted tiene %1$d %2$@.";



How does NSLocalizedString() work?

It’s dictionaries all the way down.


NSLocalizedStringFromTable(key, table, comment)

Looks up your string in table.strings


Adding localizations to your project

Let’s localizing!



I’ve got images with English text in them.


en.lproj/aybabtu.png



ja.lproj/aybabtu.png



ja.lproj/aybabtu.png

es.lproj/aybabtu.png



I like Interface Builder. I don’t want to set my UI

text in code.


ibtoolibtool --generate-strings-file MainStoryboard.strings

MainStoryboard.storyboard

ibtool --generate-strings-file NibName.strings NibName.xib


/* Class = "IBUILabel"; text = "This text has been laid out in the nib."; ObjectID = "3ZM-yV-HpI"; */"3ZM-yV-HpI.text" = "This text has been laid out ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! in the nib.";

/* Class = "IBUILabel"; text = "Just the way I like it!"; ObjectID = "Oxg-9T-bKW"; */"Oxg-9T-bKW.text" = "Just the way I like it!";


ibtool --strings-file es.lproj/MainStoryboard.strings --write es.lproj/MainStoryboard.storyboard en.lproj/MainStoryboard.storyboard

ibtool --strings-file target-language/NibName.strings --write target-language/NibName.xib base-language/NibName.xib





Money, revisited.


• Cost of translation: ¥8,000

• Revenue per sale: ¥60

• Sell 8000/60 = 135 extra apps in that language to break even.


Which you need to leverage with sales and marketing.

Localization gives you a competitive advantage.


Additional Resources

• https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#documentation/Cocoa/Conceptual/LoadingResources/Strings/Strings.html

• https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#documentation/MacOSX/Conceptual/BPInternational/Articles/LocalizingInterfaces.html

• http://gengo.com/contact-support/quality-policy/

• http://kb.applingua.com/2011/10/3rd-party-localization-string-extraction-tools/


https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/Cocoa/Conceptual/LoadingResources/Strings/Strings.html




https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/MacOSX/Conceptual/BPInternational/Articles/LocalizingInterfaces.html




http://gengo.com/contact-support/quality-policy/

http://gengo.com/contact-support/quality-policy/

http://kb.applingua.com/2011/10/3rd-party-localization-string-extraction-tools/




WZLocalize

github.com/weissazool/WZLocalize


Technology

Localizing iOS Apps