Localization business case - Runtastic: “Lingohub was the right choice for us”

Just a few weeks ago newspaper articles and blog posts mainly focused on one company - Runtastic. To say it with the words of the Austrian app development company ‘this year has been a runtastic one so far’. Exporting to 38 countries, reaching more than 140 million downloads and translating into over 15 languages make Runtastic a global player in the industry. Thus, localization plays a major role within the company. Kerstin Somalo, Head of Translations, tells us how they manage translations with Lingohub and why switching from a competitor to Lingohub was the right choice for them.

Runtastic is a company of global success and was recently acquired by Adidas. First of all, congratulations to your success. Can you please tell us about the beginnings of Runtastic?

The idea for the app came to us during an university project. The task was to track the routes boats took on lake Neusiedlersee via GPS. Based on this project, the four founders developed the app for amateur runners. The company was founded in October 2009, and already in November of the same year, the market launch of the Runtastic app for iOS took place. Little by little, an entire ecosystem grew, enabling the company to assist its users day and night. Runtastic loves to accompany them on their way to a better, healthier and more conscious lifestyle.

Runtastic has more than 70 million users. How do you manage to service and satisfy the increasing number of users?

We are constantly striving to provide our users with the best possible service and to respond to their needs. This is why we offer a varied ecosystem. We are convinced that every user - whether experienced athlete or enthusiastic beginner - can find the right tool for him or her. It is precisely because of our wide range of products that it is easy to put together your own customized combination of apps, hardware or online services to meet your needs.

Apart from the successful Runtastic app you offer various other products too. Are you currently up to create a new app or feature?

Yes, we not only have other apps, but we support our users with an entire ecosystem. Practical hardware or online services, training plans or story runs, there are a wide range of options. We are currently working on a new app which should come out at the end of the year. Our brand new product is the Runtastic Moment, a watch with all the functionality of an activity tracker.

In how many different countries are you selling your products at this stage?

We currently ship the products from our online shop to 38 countries.

How did you use to handle localization before working with Lingohub? How does Runtastic use Lingohub now?

Before working with Lingohub, we used another online tool to localize all our apps and websites. After growing a lot over the years, we weren't completely happy with the tool anymore and started looking for an alternative. Our goal was to simplify both the developers' and the translators' work and workflow, and in Lingohub we found a good solution.

What do you like best on Lingohub? Which improvements did you realize since you have started using Lingohub?

We really like the clean and simple design and usability of the web interface, as well as the translator vs. reviewer feature. Also the MultiEditor, which allows several languages to be edited at the same time, is a great tool for aligning our localizations. Moreover, Lingohub presents an array of import and export settings which allow our developers to adjust the configuration to their needs and preferences for a smooth workflow.

If you are curious how other businesses use Lingohub to improve their localization workflow, give our Nimbusec business case a try and stay tuned for upcoming ones!