Case Study: NTT DOCOMO achieves on-schedule English-language smartphone app releases for the global market with RWS

Working to a Tight Development Schedule, NTT DOCOMO Releases English-Language Versions of its Software

NTT DOCOMO, Japan’s largest mobile operator, needed English-language versions of two smartphone services (including an app-search) to enter the global market. With limited in-house English localization experience, the company required natural, screen‑aware translations, testing on actual devices, and the ability to revise wording quickly as software specifications changed — all within a tight one‑month development schedule.

SDL handled translation, created test scenarios and ran checks on real smartphones (with an Android‑savvy engineer on the team), and iteratively revised text based on DOCOMO’s feedback. SDL’s flexible project management absorbed mid‑project spec changes, delivered the localized services on schedule and at reasonable cost, and supplied a style guide and glossary that improved consistency, enabled in‑house minor edits, and helped ensure no reported user issues in the first three months.

NTT Docomo

Yasushi Kondo

Service Facilitation Platform Group Manager, Service & Solution Development Department