A great description is one of the best ways to promote your mobile app and engage your users. Sadly, this obvious fact is often ignored once the application is localised. Even if the original description is good, the localised version is often far from perfect. To tune it up, try to avoid these common flaws of localising mobile app descriptions:

1. No human touch

It’s OK to localise the app description only, without localising the whole application. You can see if the new description increases the download figures and interest of your users, and then decide to localise all application components. But it’s not OK to skimp on localisation quality by using machine translation. Chaotic descriptions which often result from such translation will only confuse your users and create an impression that you don’t treat them seriously. Plus, your users won’t be able to figure out what are the app features and how they can really benefit from downloading it. This leads to poor communication and lost opportunities.

2. Half-baked

I’m sure you’ve seen that one before. The app description starts great, it’s funny, intriguing and linguistically correct. And then comes the surprise: the original text pops up and you don’t know what to make out of it. Half in English, half in Polish/German/Spanish or any other language. Try to avoid this common mistake while localising your application. If you take the first step, take the second too, and provide your users with a full description in their language. If for some reasons you can’t localise the whole text, use a shorter description. What matters is the final impression, so keep it short and engaging, rather than long and confusing.

3. Almost there

Correct translation of your app description may not do the trick. What is funny and engaging in the original version, may be unclear in other languages, especially if the text contains cultural references, jokes or proper nouns. This is why you’ll need to take things a step further and adjust the description to your target audience. Find out what types of text will draw attention of your users. Do you need to list the benefits and features of you app? Will a touch of humour engage your users better? The needs and expectations of your target group may vary from country to country, so remember to localise your descriptions accordingly.

Mobile app description is often the first thing your users will look at, so try to impress and engage them. And do it consistently in every single language version.

What do you think are other mistakes in the descriptions of localised applications?

Dorota Pawlak

Dorota helps digital brands infuse their content with a local touch. She is a localization consultant, translator specialized in IT, prompt engineer, and a book author. Dorota teaches online courses on localization, writes for her blog and a Medium publication. She also runs a Small Biz AI, a Substack newsletter for freelancers and small business owners ready to discover handy AI tools.