Five mistakes I have made on real launches, in the order I made them, plus how I avoid them now.
1. Auto-translating without review
First app, first launch: pasted screenshot copy into Google Translate, exported. Two months later a friend told me the Italian version called the app a "child" instead of a "tab". Always have a native speaker or a back-translation step.
2. Shrinking text to fit
German is often 40% longer than English. Instead of redesigning, I reduced the font size. The screenshots looked cramped and amateur. Now I shorten the German copy or split into two lines.
3. Reusing English screenshots in non-English locales
Easy to do, easy to forget. App Store Connect lets you set the Default Language and the rest fall back to it. Conversion drops 20–30% in the affected locales. Always overwrite the default for each locale.
4. Wrong currency and date formats
A "$" sign and "MM/DD" format inside a French or German screenshot reads as a foreign app. Local format costs nothing extra and signals quality.
5. Cultural symbols that do not translate
A handshake icon meant "deals" in my US screenshot. In Japan it was confusing; the local cue is a bow. I removed the icon and replaced it with the brand color. Cleaner across markets.