App translation and localization

App text behaves differently from website text. It arrives as hundreds of short strings without context, it contains placeholders that must not break, and it has to fit inside buttons and tabs. Allinaa translates and localizes app interface text with review by a person.

What's different about app text

Short strings without context

A translator who sees only the word "Book" cannot tell whether it is a noun or a button that makes a reservation. "Open" might mean "open now" or "open this file". "Back" could be navigation or a body part in a fitness app. In many languages each meaning needs a different word, so context decides the quality.

Placeholders and variables

Strings such as Hello, {name} or {count} items in your cart contain parts your code fills in. They must stay exactly as written, yet the word order around them often changes in other languages. A broken placeholder can crash a screen or show raw code to users, so every one is checked.

Plurals

English has two forms: one item, two items. Russian and Polish use several plural forms, and Arabic distinguishes even more. If your strings are built as "item" plus "s", they will need restructuring. Your developers' plural support, such as Android quantity strings or iOS string catalogs, is the right place to handle this.

Length limits

German and Finnish words are often much longer than their English equivalents, and a tab label that fits in English may be cut off. Tell us the maximum length for tight spots and we will write to fit, choosing a shorter natural wording instead of an abbreviation nobody understands.

Right-to-left languages

Arabic and Hebrew read from right to left. We translate the text, but mirroring the layout is a development task, so plan for it before choosing those languages.

What to send us

• String files in the format your developers already use, for example iOS string catalogs or .strings files, Android strings.xml, JSON, gettext .po or XLIFF. Tell us the format when you ask for a quote and we will confirm it before work starts.
• Screenshots of each screen, ideally with string keys or notes so the reviewer can see where each text appears.
• Notes for ambiguous strings, such as whether "Book" is a noun or a verb.
• A glossary: your app name, feature names and any terms that must stay in English.
• Maximum lengths for buttons, tabs and notifications.
• Only the new or changed strings for an update, so the job stays small.

Human review

AI produces the first draft quickly, and a person reviews it. For apps, the review covers four things. The reviewer compares strings with your screenshots, checks that every placeholder and formatting mark is intact, keeps terms consistent across screens, and flags strings that probably will not fit. A tip for your developers: run a pseudo-localization test before translation, replacing every string with a longer, accented version. It reveals hard-coded text and layout overflow while it is still cheap to fix.

Updates after release

Apps change with every release, so translation is never a single job. Premium localization includes 30 days of free updates after delivery: if you add or change strings during that time, send them and we update the translations. After that, send new strings as a new request. Keeping a list of changed keys per release makes this quick.

Starting prices per project

• Standard, from $300 per project: translation into one language, reviewed by a person, adapted for local users.
• Premium, from $500 per project: up to three languages, cultural adaptation of prices, examples and tone, SEO titles and descriptions for any web pages included, and 30 days of free updates.

The final price depends mainly on the number of strings, screens and languages, and you will know it before we start. See the pricing section, or send your files and questions through the contact form or to info@allinaa.com. If your app has a marketing website too, website localization and multilingual SEO cover that side.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need access to our code repository?

No. The string files and screenshots are enough for us to work from. Please send only the text files, without configuration values or keys.

Can you translate the app store listing as well?

Yes, as content alongside the app strings. Mention it when you ask for a quote and include the current listing text and the screenshot captions.

Who tests the translated app?

Your team. We review every string against your screenshots, but running the app on real devices in the new language, and fixing layout issues, stays with your developers.

Can the Allinaa chatbot run inside our mobile app?

Not as a built-in app component. The Allinaa assistant runs on websites and on Telegram today. It is not a chat library you add to a native app.