Audio and Labels - Learn SpriteBuilder for iOS Game Development - page 392

36 to 46, not 6 to 12 and a shirt size of 52-54 translates to the abbreviation
XXL in the UK/US. So you can't even rely on sizes being numbers or letters
everywhere.
Onscreen vs. offscreen keyboards These have different layouts. Especially
OS X apps should react to a key's keycode rather than the letter it
prints—for instance, the WASD keys are scattered across a Dvorak key-
board. But generally, you need to consider that nonalphabet and nondigit
characters may be harder to write in some languages, requiring the use of
Shift and Control keys or switching the onscreen keyboard to a different
page.
Word order The order of adjectives, nouns, and verbs in a sentence may be
different or understood differently. This can be crucial for name generators.
For instance, in an RPG that generates “Plentiful Sword of Hurting,” the dir-
ect translation in the same order of words might read more like “Hurting
Sword of Plenty” to a French speaker, somewhat or even completely altering
its meaning.
Proper nouns These needn't be translated. The most obvious case is the
app's name. Should the topic's app be called “Hüpfende Bestie” in German,
or would you rather leave it as “Bouncy Beast” internationally? Of course,
the translator needs to be aware of any proper nouns, including character and
location names.
Cultural differences It's customary in one country to greet with “How are
you?” which may be seen as disingenuous politeness and generally unfitting
in other regions of this world. Likewise, gestures can also be a problem.
Probably the best known offender is the thumbs up, which is considered rude
and offensive in Islamic and Asian countries. In Australia, it is so-so—by
moving the gesture up and down, it becomes a grave insult.
Context The same words can mean different things depending on context in
some languages. In one context, it's a confirmation; in another context, it's
an insult.
Pronunciation Some languages have subtle variations in pronunciation for
the same word that can make all the difference between two completely dif-
ferent meanings.
Embedded text Avoid embedding text in images that need to be translated.
This will increase the app size for everyone, and you'll have to re-create