\u201cIt depends\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Does your app name have a trademark or proper name in the title?<\/b><\/b><\/h3>\n
If it does, case closed, you will probably want to leave that app name in English. Any trademarked app name that you plan to aggressively market internationally <\/i>is best left untouched. Apple, for example, doesn\u2019t translate Safari<\/strong> in any language. It\u2019s not that “Safari” is an untranslatable word, it\u2019s just that Apple has spent a lot of money making people associated the word Safari with web browsing.<\/p>\n In other words, if<\/em> you expect your audience to learn and value\u00a0<\/i>the app name despite it being in a different language, and want it to be consistent across countries, then\u00a0you can leave it.<\/i><\/p>\n If your app name is a clever play on words like \u201cLuv N Haight\u201d you may also want to leave it. We could of course translate \u201cLove and Hate\u201d for you, but would that be the same thing? Another problematic type of app name to localize is concatenated titles like InstaQuote<\/a>. We did not translate this app name because, well, it just doesn\u2019t make sense to.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n If you answered \u201cNo\u201d to the two questions above, I would strongly consider translating your app\u2019s name. There are two main reasons for that: discoverability<\/strong> and usability<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Your international users are not searching the App Store for \u201cpuzzles\u201d they are searching for rompecabezas, quebra-cabe\u00e7a, \u0433\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0432\u043e\u043b\u043e\u043c\u043a\u0430, \u76ca\u667a\u904a\u6232,<\/em> or \u30d1\u30ba\u30eb<\/em>.<\/p>\n App titles are often more than just a word or two. Many developers will use a very long extended app title, which appears only in iTunes. This allows you to include more keywords in the title, which are all indexed to improve your search rankings.<\/p>\n Another reason to translate an app name is usability. Most developers do not have huge marketing budgets or trademarked feature names. After all, just because you call a feature EasyCheckPay<\/i> doesn’t mean that it is going to catch on in every language. It’s better just to translate the feature name so your users understand its function. In fact, sometimes that same EasyCheckPay<\/em> feature appears elsewhere in the app as Easy Check Pay. That’s an indication to us that the meaning is more important than the name and should be translated.<\/p>\n When we localize software, in each case we ask the developer directly whether they want the app name translated. In fact, we\u2019ve found a handy way of asking without having to explain much of the above:<\/p>\n You may also want to change the display name of your app as it appears to users on their iPhone home screen. This name must be short (just 12 characters) or it will end of like “My Great A…ame. To change the name of your app on the iPhone home screen (Springboard), create a file called InfoPlist.strings<\/b> and add it to each language-specific project directory where you store other resources for the same localization. Localize the name on this line:<\/p>\n “CFBundleDisplayName” = “Appli FRANCE”;<\/strong><\/p>\n Even when you have decided to translate your app name, the real work goes to the translator. App name localization isn\u2019t always as straightforward as you might think, even when it\u2019s a good idea. It is important for the app’s name to sound natural in the localized language, and requires translators who understand the app, and thoughtfully consider the app title in order to create a natural translation.<\/p>\n![\"Japplenese:](\"http:\/\/www.ibabbleon.com\/copywriter-translator\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/safari.png\" "\\"Understanding")
<\/a>Is your app name impossible to translate?<\/b><\/h3>\n
App Name Localization for Discoverability\/SEO and Usability<\/b><\/h2>\n
Say my name<\/b><\/h2>\n
<\/a>What\u2019s in a name?<\/b><\/h2>\n