Facebook building App Centers for other countries

App developers can now submit their service in various languages to gain new audinences

Just weeks after launching the Facebook App Center for U.S. users, the social network giant is extending the service internationally -- adding extensions for Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, with Brazil, France, Germany, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, and Turkey.

The news to localize Facebook apps was announced Monday by Facebook App Center executive Drew Hoskins.

As part of this effort to localize the App Center based on language and country of users, Hoskins also announced a translation tool that developers can use to bring their apps to the various versions of the App Center.

The App Center was designed to help Facebook user discover new apps using recommendations, personal interests and Facebook usership preferences (such as browser-based of mobile app).

Since users outside of the U.S. and Canada make up more than 80% of Facebook’s base, attracting more of those users to the various apps will be crucial for the company to keep increasing downloads, page views and time spent on the site as the company inches closer to its first post-IPO quarterly earnings report.

Hoskins posted that the new localization tool added to the App Dashboard works like this:

1. Select a primary language. The primary language that you select on the App Center tab will be what people see if you haven’t translated your app detail page into their language.

1. Choose additional languages. Go to the Localize tab, select “Add Language” from the language drop down, and click the language you wish to add.
2. Provide translated content. On the next page, add a tagline, description and detailed description. If you are requesting extended permissions and have entered an explanation for this in your primary language, it will also be required for each additional language. Display name and publisher are optional.
3. Save and submit. Once you’re done, click “Save” and then “Submit.” Translated content will be reviewed before an app is listed in an App Center category to ensure that it meets the guidelines.

Developers are asked to submit their app translations by Friday, July 13, 2012 for prioritized review and to be included in the upcoming App Center launches, rolling out in various counties over the next few weeks.

With developers coming in from all over the world to create Facebook apps, there is a great need to not only work in developer's native languages and countries, but also to provide developers additional assets and tools to help them break into different markets of users.

Thus far, Facebook has 230 million people playing games on the platform every month, and more than 130 games have at least one million monthly active users.