App Store Keywords Translation: Why Direct Translation Kills Your ASO (And What to Do Instead)

The keyword translation trap

Translating keywords word‑for‑word from English is the #1 reason localization fails to increase downloads. Search behavior, competition, character limits, and language structure differ by market — your keywords must too.

Why direct translation fails

If you've ever translated your English keywords and wondered why rankings didn't move, you're not alone. Each App Store locale is its own market with different search habits, competitors, and constraints. Here’s what changes—and why it matters.

The right way to localize keywords

Treat this as market positioning, not a dictionary exercise. Keep the concept; swap the words to match how people actually search.

1. Research local terms — use App Store suggestions, read reviews, and scan competitor titles/subtitles to learn the native phrasing.
2. Score candidates — favor the mix of search volume, high relevance, and manageable competition for that language.
3. Adapt concepts — if “budget planner” maps to “Haushaltsbuch,” use that; don’t force English loanwords unless they’re popular locally.
4. Balance brand and discovery — keep brand/flagship terms consistent, but use localized discovery keywords to widen reach.
5. Iterate quarterly — trends shift; rotate 20–30% of underperformers and lock in winners.

Language‑specific tips

Each language family has quirks that influence search. Use these quick hints as a starting point, then validate with data in your target storefronts.

• Japanese: mix kanji and kana; consider popular katakana loanwords for tech terms.
• German: leverage compounds and also include component words for broader matching.
• Spanish: account for regional variants (MX vs ES); pick the term your target storefront uses.
• Chinese (Simplified): high character density; include short phrases, not only single characters.
• French/Portuguese: mind formality levels and regional usage (BR vs PT), which can shift search intent.

A practical research workflow (45 minutes)

You don’t need a big team to do this well. Here’s a simple one‑session routine that gets you to a solid, localized keyword set.

1. Seed list: write 10–15 English concepts (not translations) that describe the app and jobs‑to‑be‑done.
2. Local suggestions: in each storefront, type the concept in the local language and capture App Store search suggestions.
3. Competitor scrape: open top 5 apps in the category; note words recurring in titles/subtitles.
4. Reviews mining: scan recent reviews; extract phrases users use to describe the app.
5. Score: assign rough score by volume proxy (showing as suggestion), relevance, and competition.

Adapting concepts per market

Same app, different vocabulary. Map the core idea to terms locals actually use, not what a dictionary suggests.

• Finance: “budget planner” → DE: “Haushaltsbuch”, ES: “control de gastos”, JP: “家計簿”. These reflect how people talk about household money, not budgets in the corporate sense.
• Scanner: “PDF scanner” → DE: “Dokumentensscanner”, FR: “scanner PDF”, JP: “スキャナー アプリ”. Utility queries often prefer functional nouns over brandy phrases.
• Workout: “home workout” → DE: “Heimtraining”, ES: “ejercicio en casa”, FR: “sport à la maison”. Phrasing changes but the intent—training at home—stays constant.

Building the 100‑char keyword field

This field is all about coverage. Use it to widen net‑new queries that your title and subtitle don’t already capture.

• Favor single words or short bigrams; drop spaces and articles to maximize the 100‑char field.
• Avoid duplicates already in title/subtitle; Apple de‑duplicates across fields, so reuse wastes space.
• Prefer variety over repetition; cover multiple intents rather than repeating one concept five ways.
• Use locale‑specific synonyms; only keep English loanwords when they’re popular in that market.

Quarterly optimization routine

ASO isn’t set‑and‑forget. A light, recurring review keeps you compounding gains without busywork.

1. Export current keywords and rankings per locale.
2. Swap 20–30% of underperformers; add 2–3 new concepts.
3. Refresh “What’s New” and screenshots for top 3 locales to support the changes.
4. Re‑evaluate in 3–4 weeks; keep winners.

Tooling quick comparison

Use tools to speed up research, but let real storefront behavior guide decisions. Start scrappy, upgrade as you scale.

• AppTweak / Sensor Tower: best for volume and competitor insights per country.
• App Radar: tracking and iterations; good for SMBs.
• Sheets + App Store suggestions: free, slower but effective if disciplined.

Start with free methods to learn the landscape; invest in tools once you're iterating regularly and need speed.