Choose a locale you can actually support
Review customer questions, existing usage and the support capacity available to your team. A language with an attractive population is not automatically a suitable next launch. Check whether the released product, payment explanation, privacy text and support route can serve that audience. If the interface is still untranslated, make that limitation clear rather than presenting a fully localized listing that creates an incompatible expectation after installation.
Name the audience and task within the locale. Two languages can describe the same feature with different everyday terms, and a literal translation may sound like a technical category rather than a customer problem. Ask a capable language reviewer to explain the draft and identify ambiguous claims. Keep the reviewer's role and the scope of the feedback visible. One review does not establish demand across an entire country or every speaker of the language.
Research intent instead of translating the whole list
Start with the job and collect local phrases from permitted customer conversations, support messages and relevant store searches. Record the source, date and feature supporting each term. Separate a language suggestion from a measured demand estimate. Automated translation can produce a starting draft, but it cannot verify search popularity, a trademark right or whether the app fulfills the phrase. Remove unsupported terms before checking lengths.
Use the ASO metadata checker for the exact locale draft. The App Store keyword check includes UTF-8 bytes because non-ASCII terms can consume more space than their visible character count suggests. Play fields have their own length limits and no identical keyword-field workflow. Inspect punctuation and copy after pasting into the appropriate console. A length result is a mechanical check; the language still needs human review and the final submission needs console validation.
Review the screenshot and first session together
Translate benefit captions alongside the real supported screens they explain. Check text wrapping, direction, contrast and readable size on the target device. Do not shrink a longer sentence until it is technically on the image but practically unreadable. Prefer a shorter accurate benefit with the language reviewer involved. Keep screenshots consistent with the app's available interface and state when an image is illustrative rather than a capture of a released feature.
Attempt the advertised first task using harmless sample content and the intended locale settings. Dates, amounts, keyboard behavior and layout can reveal mismatches that a listing translation misses. Record the build, operating system and language context in each private report. Choose participants and research methods suitable for that distribution route. A localized community score is not proof of store ranking or evidence that every translated journey works.
Measure each locale with a change log
Save the original and revised metadata, images and review notes with publication dates. Segment console observations by the relevant language, country or storefront where the report supports it. Do not assume those dimensions are interchangeable. Compare like periods and keep acquisition changes visible. An overall conversion ratio can hide a locale doing poorly or improve simply because the mix of visitors changed after a new campaign.
Decide what would justify expanding to the next locale: a clear supported promise, a working first journey, available support and a plan to observe outcomes. Record remaining language and product gaps before scaling. The goal is a listing that an appropriate person can understand and use, followed by evidence from the actual audience. A long list of translated fields is an output of localization work, not proof that the work created installs or satisfied users.
Working example
Illustrative small-team rollout: a collection app considers a French listing because support inquiries already use French. A reviewer replaces a literal binder phrase with language appropriate to the collection task, then checks the actual feature support. The owner counts bytes in the keyword draft, inspects captions on a phone and tests finding a saved collection with French locale settings. The change log separates reviewer observations, console validation and later acquisition data. This is a fictional planning sequence and includes no estimated search volume, ranking position or claimed conversion increase.
Your next steps
- Choose one supported locale with a clear audience and support plan.
- Research relevant local phrases and label demand assumptions.
- Review text, screenshots and first-session behavior together.
- Keep locale-specific changes, sources and outcomes in one log.
Official sources
Sources checked October 5, 2026. Review the current provider documentation before acting on requirements.
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