Hi guys,
From you experience, do you think it’s worthwhile to translate an app to Tagalog?
Do Filipinos use English or Tagalog for search?
Crowdsource it.
Thanks, but it’s not a question about the cost - even if it’s affordable and possible, managing multiple languages requires a lot of effort, so it’s better not to translate to too many languages.
The question is whether Tagalog is used for search in the Philippines, or is it only spoken language and most mobile users will use English anyway.
Never heard of it before. Do you have a strong presence in the Philippines ?
1 Like
Both are official languages… If cost and time is not the problem, I’d go with both, but that’s up to you.
The app is still in the works, so no presence anywhere yet : ) I was hoping that the initial user acquisition will be cheaper in the Philippines compared to US/UK, so I can get more reviews and feedbacks.
For me, the translation is not only about cost or initial time - the most tiresome part is maintaining the translations for each future update, I can’t update as frequent as I would like, because I’m dependent on the translators availability , so it’s better not to translate to languages that won’t be used
That’s the thing though, do you know if your app would be monetised in a region that typically doesn’t have a high income?
I just assumed that you’d done basic market research first…
1 Like
But scattershot development is so much fun. 
Just aim at every group, language and genre that won’t break your budget and squeeze the trigger!
Someone is bound to play it.
1 Like
Even if it’s not monetized well in some regions (usually most regions…), it will be worth it just for the reviews and other insights we can get.
What connection do you have to the Philippines?
If its just “I’ll try my game in random poor country first” you are going to fail. Its simply not going to happen. On the other hand if you speak the language, spend time in the country, and understand the culture, you might be able to fill a particular niche in the country that hasn’t been tackled yet.
South East Asia is right on my door step. Its the market I work in. There are a huge number of failed business plans that start with ‘if we can just catch one percent of South East Asia’. Its an entirely different set of markets to work in.
3 Likes
No, My sinister organization does not plan to abuse any random country.
I just had a specific question about whether a specific language is used for search…
Thanks anyway.
Nope. That’s exactly the thinking indies do by default and why there aren’t many successful indies. Do not scattershot. Attack the strongest market first. That has 100% different rules to all the other markets. Totally incompatible.
Pretty much same compatibility as the language and local culture. See where I’m going with that?
2 Likes
Just keep in mind that the feedback, and to some degree the reviews too, won’t necessarily be the same as what you would receive in another country because different countries tend to have differences in their games. Japanese roleplaying games are an excellent example of this. They’re very different from those in the US/UK.
Or second. If you are targeting the US, it doesn’t hurt to gather data from Australia or NZ first.
1 Like
Yep, I see soft releases happen in Australia sometimes
Once upon a time we used to get hardware soft releases as well. You could get the latest tech in phones ahead of the rest of the world. No one seems to do that anymore. 