Android A World of Language Support

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Android: A World of Language
Support

Android: A World of Language Support
© Globalization Partners International. All rights reserved.http://blog.globalizationpartners.com/ 2
In the 9 years since Google acquired
Android, it has grown to be the
world's most popular mobile
operating system (OS). To achieve
this, the Google Android team
developed language support
features so that Android OS-based
phones fully function in the
language of the user's choice.

Market Share and Language Support
Below is a pie chart showing the percentage of the world that uses Android:
Worldwide Smart Mobile Device Market Share - Q1 2013
Data by Canalys

Language Code
· Afrikaans · af
· Amharic · am
· Bulgarian · bg
· Catalan · ca
· Chinese (PRC) · zh-CN
· Chinese (Taiwan) · zh-TW
· Croatian · hr
· Czech · cs
· Danish · da
· Dutch · nl
· English (UK) · en-GB
· English (US) · en-US
· Estonian · et
· Filipino · fil
· Finnish · fi
· French (Canada) · fr-CA
· French (France) · fr-FR
· German · de
· Greek · el
· Hindi · hi
· Hungarian · hu
· Indonesian · id / in
· Italian · it
· Japanese · ja
· Korean · ko
· Latvian · lv
· Lithuanian · lt
· Malay · ms
· Norwegian · no
· Polish · pl
· Portuguese (Brazil) · pt-BR
· Portuguese (Portugal) · pt-PT
· Romanian · ro
· Russian · ru
· Serbian · sr
· Slovak · sk
· Slovenian · sl
· Spanish (Latin America) · es-419
· Spanish (Spain) · es-ES
· Swahili · sw
· Swedish · sv
· Thai · th
· Turkish · tr
· Ukrainian · uk
· Zulu · zu
The list of languages currently supported by Android are
Source: https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/table/4419860?hl=en

Future Plans
In June, Google mentioned they are close to releasing a multilingual feature that
will allow users of an Android OS device to easily switch between languages using
Google Now search. When this becomes available, the feature will allow users to
select as many as 7 different languages for various phone functions and
applications. You could perform a search in one language, run an application in
another and look up your contacts in yet another language, all without having to
re-set any settings between use of the apps or functions.
I have an Android phone and will only have a need for one language at a time but,
I have many polyglot friends who will likely use this feature daily once it is a
released. Today, many families speak multiple languages in their homes and
would like the ability to use their mobile devices in multiple languages to play a
game online with others, use various social media applications and browse the
web.

When considering localization of
applications for mobile devices, it
is not only the people in a target
country that may benefit and
seek use of the localized
app. Many of the native speakers
who have migrated to other
countries will also use their
phones in multiple languages.

Conclusion
Android is an excellent mobile operating system with strong language support. It
is great that they are continuing to expand the language features and capabilities.
If you are a mobile application developer with an interest in supporting mobile
users globally or a mobile user looking to use your phone in a language other than
English, you should feel confident that Android is a platform that can support your
needs in almost every market in the world today.
Mobile application translation or localization is typically an affordable option for
many start-ups, rather than the cost for an enterprise or PC-based application, as
it will have much less text to translate. Here is a link to a GPI blog to provide tips
on what to consider when creating a mobile app with localization in mind: /what-
to-consider-for-mobile-application-localization.aspx.

Additional Resources from GPI
Globalization Partners International (GPI) has developed a suite of globalization tools to achieve
internationalization. You can explore them under the Tools sections of our Translation Services. GPI also offers
internationalization and globalization consulting services and can evaluate your application. Partnering with
GPI before you localize or translate your application will ensure that you avoid many mistakes and will also save
you considerable time and money on your localization projects.
For more information about mobile application translation and localization please check our services and blogs:
• Translation Services for Windows Mobile Localization
• Mobile Application Translation Services
• What to consider for mobile application localization
• Online and mobile shopping in UAE and MENA region
• Website translation: Personalized user experience for your target markets
Please feel free to contact GPI at info@globalizationpartners.com with any questions about our translation
services. Also let us know if you have any interesting blog topics you would like us to cover in future blogs!

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Android A World of Language Support

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