You might think games getting lost in translation might be unavoidable at times – but Ackuna believe otherwise.

This is because it has developed a site – Ackuna.com – that helps translate apps, with both free crowdsourced translation and paid professional translation options available to developers who want to localize their apps for other languages.

Alex Buran, Founder & CEO at Ackuna, spoke to us about how the site works, why developers should flock to it, and the steps being taken to improve it further.

So why do you think developers should be interested in what Ackuna can provide?

By localizing their apps, developers can reach non-native speaking users, and thus grow their user base. It is found that the majority of app and internet users will not download an app if it is not in their native language. By using Ackuna, developers can make their app multilingual in no time at all, for little or no money.

Also, users who translate through the Ackuna system are rewarded with translation feedback from other users, so their skills as a translator can grow the more they use the site.

How have you made sure that the service has enough options for game developers to use?

It allows developers to upload their native files to be translated, without needing to do any reformatting. The system is set up to accept native file formats for Android, iPhone, and other smartphone platforms. The total list of available formats include Microsoft Excel (.xls), Microsoft Office Open XML (.xlsx), Android XML (.xml), Ruby YAML (.yml), Blackberry Resource (.rrc), iOS Strings (.strings), Java configuration (.properties), and Gnu Gettext Protable Object (.po).

What have you done to make sure the site can be used by anyone?

The only requirement to use Ackuna is that users must create a profile to use all of the features. There is no fee to use Ackuna, however. The only time a user would be asked to pay for translations is if they chose the professional translation option instead of the free crowdsourced option. Any developer looking for app localization/translation can create a profile and start uploading their files in seconds.

Is there something about Ackuna that you are the most proud of?
While we are very proud with how Ackuna turned out in general, we are most proud of being able to offer free crowdsourced translations for developers. We are well aware of developers’ needs and budgets, and felt that by offering a free option for translation, it encourages more developers to offer their apps in other languages and help eliminate the language gap online.

We are also proud of making it as easy as possible for developers to localize their apps. We programmed Ackuna to accept almost any native file format to eliminate the need for any extra formatting, with specific attention to the most popular formats for iPhone and Android platforms.

What was the most difficult part of developing the site?

Initially, the most difficult part of developing the site was gathering enough users to make the crowdsourced translation option feasible. We overcame this through traditional methods of marketing and by offering higher than average rates for the professional translators who handle the projects for users who have opted for the paid professional translation option.

We now have a database of over 4,500 users which allows for faster and more accurate crowdsourced translations.

In what ways are you looking to improve the Ackuna experience?

We are looking to create a mobile app version of Ackuna so that users can translate segments on the go and learn by doing it. Developers would also be able to keep track of their uploaded projects on their smartphones and tablets. We also want to add more available languages. We are currently at 22 and wish to double that within the next year.

You can visit the Ackuna site and join in the translation fun here: http://ackuna.com/