THE SHORT ANSWER
Approve the source listing first, choose markets your product can support, and adapt the message for each locale. Check terminology and character limits, review localized creative assets, then publish selected locales and monitor them separately. Translation is only one part of localization.
1. Choose markets with a reason
A universal top-ten language list is a useful brainstorming prompt, not a market strategy. Start with countries and languages already appearing in your product data, support requests, or research. Consider the usefulness of your app in each market, relevant regulations, payment availability, and the languages your team can support.
A simple prioritization note is enough: audience evidence, product readiness, reviewer availability, and the cost of maintaining the locale. Launch a manageable first group. A carefully maintained locale is more useful than ten translations that drift away from the product.
- Record the evidence behind each target locale.
- Confirm that the product works for that market.
- Find someone who can review the language.
2. Freeze a source version and glossary
Finish your primary listing before creating translations. Identify brand names that must stay unchanged, feature names that must match the interface, and claims that need exact wording. Add a short audience note and explain the intended tone with examples.
Save the source version and date beside the localized draft. If the source changes later, mark translations for review. Reusing approved source copy prevents each language from quietly becoming a different product promise.
3. Adapt meaning before compressing text
A literal translation can be grammatically correct and still sound unnatural. Ask the reviewer whether a local user would understand the value, recognize the category, and trust the wording. Idioms, humor, and urgency deserve special attention; they rarely travel unchanged.
Review each title and description against the store's field limits. When a translation is too long, rewrite the sentence around its main idea. Truncating the last characters can remove the qualification or benefit that makes the message accurate. Keep a separate review of spelling, punctuation, and product claims.
4. Review the complete local experience
Google Play lets developers add localized listing text and visual assets. Check screenshots with embedded words as carefully as the descriptions. Dates, numbers, text direction, and interface labels should make sense together.
Listing localization does not translate your app's interface. Tell reviewers which languages the product itself supports, and make sure the store experience does not imply support that does not exist. Open the destination links and check the first-use journey as part of review.
- Review title, short description, and full description.
- Check screenshot language and text legibility.
- Verify that support and destination links are usable.
5. Publish a reviewed set and keep learning
Keep locale approval explicit. Record the exact language code, source version, reviewer, and publication date, then send only the locales you approved. Check the published result rather than assuming a successful request means the listing is already visible.
Review each market using comparable traffic and reporting definitions. A change in traffic mix can alter conversion without saying anything about translation quality. Keep language feedback alongside the numbers so the next revision addresses a real question.
References and editorial notes
These guides combine Google’s published requirements with Sorted’s suggested working process. Examples are illustrative. Check current platform and Search requirements before publishing.
BRING IT INTO YOUR WORKSPACE