How did the Nitro translator appear, which helps developers with localization and technical support
We already wrote in the article Localization as a “red pill”: a recipe and instructions for use that there are a lot of pitfalls in the product localization, and two of them are already encountered AFTER localization. This is a translation of product updates and user support for localized versions . In this article we will tell you how to solve these problems in a few clicks.
The problem of translating endless updates is a long-standing headache for both us and our clients: in order to translate three lines into 10 languages, I had to contact the manager, and the manager to communicate with translators. The translation itself can be completed in a few hours, but the process is dreary, lengthy, and even expensive: you have to pay for the manager’s time.
And then our CEO Aleksandr Muravsky had an idea of a service where you could upload the text for translation without any correspondence with the manager and get your translation during the day. When a test version of the service appeared, those who wanted to try it were found instantly, although we did not even have time to add a button for payment.
Written in Alconost
Our online translation service was called Nitro (note: nitro - nitrous oxide for instant acceleration of a sports car) . We set ourselves several tasks: translations should be high-quality and fast , and the order process should take place in a few clicks.
Whether we coped with speed, judge for yourself: 50% of orders are ready in 2 hours, and 96% are completed in less than 24 hours.
From the very beginning, we had a principled position: to work only with native translators. Why? A good translation should be smooth and natural, and with non-carriers there is always the risk of a poor formulation. For example, a carrier will not hesitate to transfer “Jobs” to the menu on the website as “Careers” or “Career Opportunities”, and non-carriers sometimes write “Vacancies”.
In addition, translation into the native language is faster and more cheerful than in the non-native language, right? And the speed of translation is important for us.
Of course, just being a native speaker is not enough. All our carriers are professional translators with experience in IT and game development.
At first we offered 3 levels of quality: excellent, good and low-cost. All the translations were supposed to be of high quality, just low-cost - for less serious translations (for example, a letter to a friend), and excellent quality - for the translation of marketing materials, articles, etc.
However, over time, we abandoned the gradations of quality, because 70% of our customers are companies, and they do not want to choose between “excellent” and “good” quality levels.
An order can be made in a few clicks, this is how it happens.
If you are already registered with Nitro , then you have to:
- Paste your text in the box
- Select translation language (s)
- Top up the account (regular users immediately replenish the account by the nth amount and skip this step)
- Click "Send to transfer"
Only 3 steps! This is very convenient, so Nitro's professional translation service is indispensable for small texts. Although the concept of “small text” is extensible: some clients completely translate applications into Nitro (if the application is not overloaded with text).
We created Nitro for our customers (well, for ourselves, what to hide), and the service turned out to be in demand by many. The last 10,000 translation orders have been made by 369 customers. These are mainly product developers who translate application strings into several languages at the same time. This is exactly our first difficulty - translating regular updates .
You know how it happens: the text in the original version was slightly changed, as a result, you have to make changes in all other languages. In this regard, localization is a constant process. Our first client, Vasily, came to us 10 years ago to translate the software interface for video conversion and orders translations to this day. :)
The lion's share of translations in the field of IT falls on mobile games. Game creators try to regularly bring in something new
Even if you are 2 days before St. Patrick (Irish, beer, a lot of clover and green) added cool tasks and dialogs for this holiday, you will manage to translate them on time, because almost all orders in our professional translation service are completed in less than a day.
Nitro has the ability to leave comments for translators , provide links to screenshots, etc. Thanks to this, the translator understands the context, which means that he correctly translates dialogs, quest descriptions, button names and pop-up notifications.
Single words (the same inscriptions on buttons) usually cause a lot of problems: it is difficult to translate the word “block” when there is no context and it is not clear whether it is a verb (“block”) or a noun (“block”? “Quarter”?) And there are many such examples .
There are frequent cases when the translation of the button should fit into a certain number of characters. And here the “comments for the translator” field is useful to you: for example, write “Maximum text length - 30 characters”.
Interestingly, the top 10 languages for localizing games have not changed for a year. 5 years ago we shared 10 languages into which it is worth translating a mobile game . On orders at Nitro, we see that this list has not changed much: they constantly translate into English, Chinese, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, German, French. Also, the top ten popular languages for localization included Italian. The translation into Indonesian is quite in demand.
In addition to translating the interface of mobile applications, descriptions of daily tasks and special offers, clients translate software updates, CVs of programmers into English, write appeals to Google about illegal publications of someone else’s product, and deal with Apple tech support in Nitro .
With the popularity of mobile games, everything is clear, but not the most typical translations come across: applications for flirting and dating, for losing weight, radical photo editing (such as “add yourself press cubes or a fashionable beard”), coloring books, cross-stitch and astrology.
How to communicate with users if you don’t speak their language?
To make your product profitable, it is important to keep abreast and take into account user reviews. What do they like about your application? What features are inconvenient? What are your wishes?
But users write in their own language - one of those to which you localized your product. In such a situation, the simplest and most convenient way is to translate the reviews themselves and (especially!) The answers to them through Nitro .
Users will appreciate the responsiveness and the fact that you took care of them and answered in their native language. And you will increase the rating of your application and learn how to make your customers satisfied.
How to encourage users to leave feedback? Ask them for feedback in the text of the next What's New or after a positive moment in the game: getting a new level, for example. A bad moment is a pop-up notification immediately after opening the application.
Features and Unclosed Gestalt
Nitro currently has 35 languages, but we are adding new languages at your request: recently the list has been replenished with the Albanian language. Many requests for Russian-Turkish and Russian-Hebrew. If you also lack some kind of language pair - knock on our chat on the site :)
Chat on the Nitro page has appeared recently. We want the customer support to be always at arm's length: there is no need to open another tab and write an email, just drop a couple of lines directly on the site.
In addition to transfers, you can order proofreading at Nitro . It is cheaper than translation, and it makes sense if you write well in a foreign language, but in your text you need to polish the grammar, correct gross stylistic errors. The proofreading in English is especially popular.
Another useful thing is the glossary . You can add in your account in Nitro a translation of specific terms, frequently used words (button text in the interface, standard abbreviations) - this will help to maintain the unity of translation of important terms in all texts of your product. Want to know more about this feature? Read our article How to improve application localization using glossaries .
“There are many more ideas on how to improve our translation service, and these plans are like an unclosed gestalt to me. We will continue to develop Nitro and add new features. ”
- Alexander Muravsky - creator of Nitro
If something went wrong
Nitro is not a black box where you drop text into a translation and wonder if the result will be suitable or not.
There is a super-responsive user support service, which you can contact in the chat, if there is such a need.
Rarity, but anything in life happens: if you are not satisfied with some pieces in the finished translation, it can be sent for revision.
Which is better: accurate and literal translation - or more beautiful, but not word for word? In such cases, in the finished translation, you can get a “compliment from the
As you can see, translating updates and communicating with foreign users is not so terrible if these issues can be resolved quickly and without troubles.
We hope that for you Nitro will be able to become a friend and assistant in translation.
Want to try our translation service? You can use the $ 10 coupon as a new user. Just sign up for Nitro and chat with us.
about the author
Article written in Alconost.
Nitro is a professional online translation service for 35 languages. Created by Alconost.
Native translators, order from 1 word, online chat with customer support.
50% of orders are ready within 2 hours, 96% - in less than 24 hours.
PS: Nitro is good for translating small texts. If you need to localize or translate a project more seriously , welcome to Alconost.
All Articles