Localization: There are no shortcuts

I am currently attempting to localize an Android application and I've come to the conclusion that there are no shortcuts when creating localized text. Idiom and vernacular in various languages are so different that translation services that one finds online are not up to the task.

Another problem is that when working with small devices, the text might need to be as brief as possible to get the idea across while still conveying enough meaning that fits into a small screen. Unfortunately this means that localization is best performed by native speaking human beings.

An example would be.

Thank you for using our cheese finder application. Simply select the cheese you would like to sample and click "go" our GPS based cheese location system will do the rest!.

Translated into French using Google Translate this says:

Merci d'utiliser notre application finder fromage. Il suffit de sélectionner le fromage que vous souhaitez déguster et cliquez sur "go" de notre système GPS emplacement du fromage fera le reste!.

Now I speak pretty good French and frankly (he he, see what I did there?) This is CRAP! I hate to imagine how this would turn out in Italian, Dutch and Hungarian.

Grazie per aver scelto la nostra applicazione finder formaggio. Basta selezionare il formaggio che si desidera assaggiare e fare clic su "go" il nostro sistema di localizzazione GPS basato su formaggi farà il resto!.

Dank u voor het gebruik van onze kaas finder applicatie. Selecteer gewoon de kaas die u wilt proeven en klik op "go" onze GPS gebaseerde kaas locatie-systeem doet de rest!.

Dank u wel mooi meisje, heft uw rok. Al mijn apen zijn ontsnapt! Er is geen gerechtigheid voor een arme egel als ik. Je moeder is zo dik dat ze behoefte heeft aan een GPS om haar tenen te vinden.

So, you can clearly see that when localizing any application, you must take care not to place too much faith in the machine translation services otherwise your carefully crafted bereavement assistance application might turn out too laughable for comfort.