Google has officially opened App Translation Service for all developers. According to Google on Android Developers Blog:

‘To help developers reach users in other languages, we launched the App Translation Service, which allows developers to purchase professional app translations through the Google Play Developer Console. This is part of a toolbox of localization features you can (and should!) take advantage of as you distribute your app around the world through Google Play.’

Earlier this was pilot program run by the company to check the response of its developers.

Some examples of developers the App Translation Service pilot program:

• Developers of ‘Zombie Ragdoll’ were able to launch its game at the same time in 20 languages in August 2013. Upon combining app translation service along with their local marketing campaigns they were able to get their 80% installs from non-English-language users.
• Dating app ‘SayHi Chat’ was able to expand into additional 13 languages and saw 120% growth in localized market. Further, they got improved user reviews of the professionally translated UI.
• ‘G4A Indian Rummy’ developers found that the app translation service was easier to use compared to previous translation methods. They saw 300% increases in user engagement in localized apps.
• More stories can be found in the following link:

Developer Stories: Localization in Google Play http://developer.android.com/distribute/googleplay/spotlight/localization.html

Follow the following steps to use Google’s App Translation Service:

1. Read the localization checklist, following is the link:

http://developer.android.com/distribute/googleplay/publish/localizing.html

1. Get ready your APK for translation and select the languages for translation
2. If you are unsure for which languages to select, Google play can help you for that:
   1. Review statics section in the developer console to see where your app already has users.
   2. Check if your app has a lot of users in certain country where you have not localized to their language.
   3. Check if app likes yours in a particular country where you are not available yet.
   4. Go to the ‘Optimization Tips’ section in the Developer Console to confirm that your APK, store listing and graphics are constantly translated.

Following is the further guideline from Google:

‘You’ll find the App Translation Service in the Developer Console at the bottom of the APK section — you can start a new translation or manage an existing translation here. You’ll be able to upload your app’s file of string resources, select the languages you want to translate into, select a professional translation vendor, and place your order. Pro tip: you can put your store listing text into the file you upload to the App Translation Service.

You’ll be able to communicate with your translator to be sure you get a great result, and download your translated string files. After you do some localization testing, you’ll be ready to publish your newly translated app update on Google Play — with localized store listing text and graphics. Be sure to check back to see the results on your user base, and track the results of marketing campaigns in your new languages using Google Analytics integration.’