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As a website or app developer, public recognition is one of the hardest tasks to accomplish in building a successful app.
With millions of apps available on Google Play or iTunes alone, unless an app is on the first few pages, chances are it will get buried in the search results and rarely be seen, much less downloaded. Combine this with the fact that almost 50% of users feel they are missing interesting or important information due to content being in another language, and an even smaller percentage willing to download such content, and it’s clear that creating the app was the easiest part.
While creating a fantastic app can offer a sense of accomplishment in its own right, what’s the point if only a select few see it? Ackuna has decided to make this issue a focus in their mission to provide multilingual solutions to the web. After months of development, Ackuna has created an easy to use translation platform specifically with developers and programmers in mind so they can reach larger, multilingual audiences with their apps.
When using Ackuna, developers can upload their program files directly to the website, and like-minded bilingual peers from all over the world will translate the content into the requested language pairs, for free. For a developer on a limited budget, this resource can be extremely useful. This “crowdsource” option takes its cue from other websites such as Wikipedia, Quora, and Stack Overflow, which rely on their own users to volunteer content. Their users are awarded with in-site badges and reputation points for submitting useful information. Ackuna works the same way, and so far has been extremely successful at developing a following. With over 4,200 users on Ackuna so far, that number seems to be growing fast.
Ackuna really stands out to the user, however, with its ease of use. There is no additional formatting of code files required for translation. Ackuna accepts almost any file type, and provides the translated content back completely formatted, and with all of the previous coding still intact. However, the one downside to free crowdsourced translations is that it is hard to be certain all of the content is translated 100% accurately.
“While we want to offer the best possible translations to our users for free, sometimes it doesn’t always work out perfectly,” Alex Buran, CEO of Ackuna explained. “On average, the free translation option delivers about 85% accurate translations. This can still be very useful to app creators, however. Whereas the content may not be perfect, it still provides multilingual versions that everyone in that language pair can follow and understand, despite a few mistakes here and there.”
While this free crowdsource translation method may be good enough for most, some might want to ensure that a professional translator handles their translation needs for that extra level of quality assurance. Ackuna now offers that professional translation option for a small fee. Users simply choose the professional option after uploading their files, and Ackuna will deliver the completed, 100% accurate translation via email within 1 or 2 business days (depending on the size).
By offering the professional translation option for its users, Ackuna has been able to take the next step towards providing the best working scenario for the translators at Ackuna. Translators are traditionally paid $.20 per word, more than twice the amount ordinarily paid by leading translation companies.
“We wanted to be the first in the industry to pay really good translators what they deserve on a routine basis,” Alex said. “We know the work that goes into providing truly accurate translations, and with Ackuna we are able to pay it forward by offering such high rates to our trusted translators.”
This has undoubtedly created great interest in the translator world. After Ackuna announced its professional translation option a couple of weeks ago, they have been flooded with requests from translators to join their team. “We are really happy with the reception Ackuna has received in the translator community, said Alex. “While it may take some time to thoroughly screen the applicants, we are committed to making sure good translators are given the opportunity to work for us.”
All in all it seems Ackuna is the go-to service for developers and translators alike. App developers benefit greatly when their apps are localized for each target language. While an app that is solely in English may end up at the bottom of the pile, so to speak, an app that is available in multiple languages has a much larger target audience. This guarantees more people are likely to download the app, and therefore drive the popularity up on sites like Google Play and iTunes. Translators are also reaping the benefits by being paid an extremely high rate for their service. By working for a higher rate, translators can afford to spend more time on making sure their translations are 100% accurate, which benefits everyone in the long run.
Author bio:
Matt Bramowicz writes for Lackuna language blog, and works as a HR manager at Translation Cloud, a leader in translation services and language solutions for businesses and individuals.
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This app seems to be very interesting and fantastic! Glad to know about this app..There are a number of apps for translators over the Web…These apps are really very much helpful!