{"id":988613,"date":"2026-10-04T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-04T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/croncodestudio.com\/en\/?post_type=croncode_post&p=988613"},"modified":"2026-09-08T22:58:43","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T22:58:43","slug":"localizing-onboarding-not-just-strings","status":"publish","type":"croncode_post","link":"https:\/\/croncodestudio.com\/en\/journal\/localizing-onboarding-not-just-strings\/","title":{"rendered":"Localizing Onboarding, Not Just Strings"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Onboarding is the first argument that the app will not waste a person. Localization is not swapping words in a spreadsheet. It is choosing examples, permission reasons, and a tone that fits the market. Croncode ships consumer iOS with English and Turkish as a default pair. This page is about onboarding as a product, not about file formats. Broader market work lives in scalability and localization<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Onboarding localization is meaning, examples, and legal tone, not a string catalog dump. If Turkish and English share one joke and one legal hedge, you translated words and missed the user.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

What has to change besides the catalog?<\/h2>\n

The first job example. The photo or case you show. The reason you ask for notifications or camera. The paywall\u2019s three honest lines. The support sentence that says how fast a human replies. Trust patterns: trust onboarding<\/a>. Push: earn the permission<\/a>. Paywalls: honest paywalls<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A closet in Istanbul weather is not a closet in a US office campus. A decision example that cites a US school calendar may confuse a Turkish user. A chauffeur window that assumes one airport code set will look careless. Products: YourStyle<\/a>, Numira<\/a>, Luviport<\/a>. A narrative game needs spoiler-safe language in both tongues: Spylie<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Which onboarding steps should you cut per locale?<\/h2>\n
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  1. A cultural joke that only one language can carry.<\/li>\n
  2. A legal claim you cannot defend in that market.<\/li>\n
  3. A permission you do not need for the first job.<\/li>\n
  4. A tour of tabs that do not exist in that build.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Thin but complete still applies: MVP too thin<\/a>. Feature creep in two languages is twice the debt: feature creep<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    When is a translator not enough?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Task<\/th>\nTranslator<\/th>\nProduct person<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
    Button labels<\/td>\nYes<\/td>\nReview length<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Permission purpose strings<\/td>\nDraft<\/td>\nMust match the binary<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    First-job example<\/td>\nNo<\/td>\nYes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Review replies<\/td>\nHelpful<\/td>\nOwner still signs. Reviews<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    Design QA must run in both languages on a small phone: design QA<\/a>. Accessibility labels need locale too: accessibility<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    How does an Istanbul studio work the two files?<\/h2>\n

    English and Turkish move in the same increment. We do not \u201cadd TR later\u201d if the listing is in Turkey. Overlap hours: Istanbul hiring<\/a>. Shipping: how we ship<\/a>. People: Goktug Unver<\/a>, Yusufhan Sokur<\/a>, Ozgur Ismet Ozkan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Naming must be speakable in both markets: naming<\/a>. Week two copy is onboarding\u2019s cousin: week two<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    What mistakes look like being global?<\/h2>\n