Globalization and Localization for Windows Phone
March 22, 2012
To develop your application for more than one language, you need to globalize and localize your application. Most of the globalization and localization functionality that you need to implement is already built into the .NET Framework, and using it will enable you to reach customers in many other countries and regions.
A globalized application will appear to be perfectly adapted to a user's cultural and business environment. Your application should display data, such as date information and numbers, in a way that is familiar to the user, and should correctly handle user input. Thanks to the .NET Framework, globalizing your application is a straightforward task. For more information about how to best globalize your application, see the following topics.
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Includes a full list of all supported display languages on Windows Phone, which cultures are supported for region format data, international phone features, and how to handle formatting and sorting. |
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Describes the two types of fonts on a Windows Phone device, full lists of included fonts, how to handle font encoding, and more. |
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Shows a step-by-step process for building a globalized application. The How-To topic is based upon an end-to-end code sample called Globalization Sample, which can be downloaded at Code Samples for Windows Phone. |
By following a few simple steps, you can design and develop applications that can be easily localized, or adapted to, a specific local market. This process mostly involves the text strings in your application and the Application Bar, if the Application Bar menu items contain text. Additionally, you can choose to localize your application title. For more information about how to best localize your application, see the following topics.
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Describes best practices for localizing resources in your application, including how to choose the best translation approach. |
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Shows a step-by-step process for adding resource files to a project and separating strings into the resource files. Also describes how to localize an Application Bar. |
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Shows a step-by-step process for localizing an application title. This is an optional step. |
Use the Windows Phone Emulator to test your application in each display language that your application targets. For more information about how to use the Windows Phone Emulator, see How to: Change the Region Settings for Windows Phone Emulator.
When changing a display language, verify that the language of your application UI automatically updates to that language. If it does not, you may not have provided a resource file for that language, as described in How to: Build a Localized Application for Windows Phone. If a resource file is not detected, a different language is displayed according to the resource fallback process described in Packaging and Deploying Resources.
For more information on changing the display language, testing localized strings and testing localized application titles, see How to: Test a Localized Application for Windows Phone.
Important Note:
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Before submitting your application to App Hub, make sure that your application conforms to the certification requirement described in section 4.4 of Application Submission Requirements. |
When you are ready to deploy your application, you will need to submit a few additional pieces of information in App Hub during the submission process:
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Metadata for each language that your application supports
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A price, which will automatically determine the cost of your application in other countries/regions. For more information, see Pricing.
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You can also choose to opt-in for worldwide distribution. This means that in the future, your application will be automatically distributed into any new country or region that Windows Phone supports.
Microsoft recommends that you develop and submit a single application that supports multiple languages, instead of developing and submitting separate applications for each language type.
App Hub Application Submission Walkthrough describes each step of the deployment process for your localized application, including how to set the application in other countries/regions and how to add language-specific metadata. For more information, see Windows Phone Marketplace FAQ.
