Chapter 18. Localization
This chapter covers
- The need for localization
- Strategies for localizing an application
- Dynamic localization in Java
- Obstacles to late localization
Android is a worldwide open platform gaining market share at a rapid pace. As Android reaches into new markets globally, the opportunity for mobile developers to distribute applications is reaching a level previously enjoyed by only the most successful of software products and projects. You can deploy an application across the globe, have the Google Marketplace handle the commercial transaction, and receive a royalty check. And you can accomplish all this without ever leaving your home office or dorm room!
To sell an application worldwide successfully, you must target it to a broad and diverse audience. English enjoys a broad acceptance and practice, and therefore you can expect that an English language application will sell well globally, but why give up on sales opportunities to the broader non-English-speaking Android market? In its simplest approach, this means translation into multiple languages. But there’s more! Beyond language translation, an application needs to properly handle dates and times, number and currency formats, and for some applications unit of measure. This chapter is an introduction to the localization capabilities of the Android platform.