Skyscraper is now fully available in Spanish and Japanese. With Bluesky's global user base growing rapidly—37.7% of users are in Brazil, 8.7% are in Japan, and Spanish-speaking communities are expanding fast—we've translated the entire app interface to make Skyscraper accessible to millions more Bluesky users worldwide.

This update brings Skyscraper's supported languages to five: English, Deutsch (German), Español (España), Español (Latinoamérica), and 日本語 (Japanese).

What's Included in the Localization

This isn't a partial translation or a machine-translated afterthought. Here's the scope of the localization work:

Detail Value
Total translated strings 1,279 per language
Spanish variants 2 (Spain + Latin America)
Translation format Apple String Catalogs (Localizable.xcstrings)
Screens covered Every view in the app
Japanese IME support Native composition handling

Every button, label, menu item, error message, and settings option has been translated. From the post composer to the trending hashtags view, from user profiles to the recap statistics screen—the entire Skyscraper experience is now available in your preferred language.

Why Spanish and Japanese?

Spanish: Bluesky's Fastest-Growing Language Community

Bluesky's largest user base is in Brazil (37.7% of all users), and the broader Latin American and Spanish-speaking community is one of the platform's fastest-growing segments. With hundreds of millions of Spanish speakers worldwide, localizing Skyscraper into Spanish was a clear priority.

We created two separate Spanish localizations to properly serve both communities:

  • Español (España) – Spanish as used in Spain, with regional vocabulary and conventions
  • Español (Latinoamérica) – Spanish as used across Latin America, reflecting the distinct terminology and conventions used by the majority of Spanish speakers on Bluesky

Japanese: Bluesky's Third-Largest Market

Japan accounts for 8.7% of all Bluesky users, making it the platform's third-largest market after Brazil and the United States. Japan's strong adoption of Bluesky makes sense—the country has a deep social media culture with particular enthusiasm for decentralized and open platforms.

Japanese localization required special attention beyond just translating strings:

  • IME composition support: We fixed the post composer to properly handle Japanese Input Method Editor (IME) composition. The app now correctly detects when a user is in the middle of composing Japanese characters (checking markedTextRange on iOS and markedRange() on macOS) and avoids interrupting the composition state.
  • Japanese trending content: We added support for Japanese-language content in our trending hashtags and discovery features, ensuring Japanese users can find trending topics in their language.
  • Character handling: All interface elements properly accommodate the variable width of Japanese characters, including kanji, hiragana, and katakana.

The Localization Journey: How We Did It

The translation work happened across a focused two-week sprint in late January and early February 2026:

Phase 1: Infrastructure (January 25)

We migrated to Apple's modern String Catalog format (Localizable.xcstrings), which provides a structured, maintainable approach to managing translations across multiple languages. This replaced ad-hoc string management with a system designed for scale.

Phase 2: String Extraction (January 25–31)

Over the course of a week, we extracted and cataloged every user-facing string in the app. This meant going screen by screen through the entire Skyscraper interface—post composer, timeline views, profile screens, settings panels, trending displays, recap statistics, notifications, and more. The final count: 1,354 unique string keys.

Phase 3: Spanish Translation (January 31)

The bulk Spanish translation covered all 1,225+ strings in a single focused session, followed by several rounds of refinement to catch context-dependent translations, handle pluralization, and ensure terminology consistency across the app.

Phase 4: Japanese Translation & Input Fixes

Japanese localization included both the string translations and critical input handling fixes. The IME composition fix was particularly important—without it, Japanese users would experience interrupted text input while composing characters, making the post composer frustrating to use.

Phase 5: Polish & Testing (February 1–7)

Additional translation passes covered views added during development, including recap views, theme and icon settings, and chat features. We tested across multiple device sizes to ensure translated text fits properly in all layouts.

Supported Languages: The Full List

Language Display Name Code Status
English English en Full (1,280 strings)
German Deutsch de Full (1,279 strings)
Spanish (Spain) Español (España) es Full (1,279 strings)
Spanish (Latin America) Español (Latinoamérica) es-419 Full (1,279 strings)
Japanese 日本語 ja Full (1,279 strings)

Users can switch languages at any time from Settings without restarting the app. The "Use System Language" option automatically matches your device's language preference.

In-App Post Translation: Already Built In

Separately from the interface localization, Skyscraper already includes a post translation feature powered by Apple's Translation framework. This means you can:

  • Translate any post on your timeline into your preferred language
  • Toggle back and forth between the original text and the translation
  • Translate in search results so you can explore content in any language

Combined with the new interface localization, Skyscraper is now a truly multilingual Bluesky experience—both the app itself and the content you consume can be in your preferred language.

What's Next: More Languages Coming

Spanish and Japanese join German as our first non-English localizations, but we're not stopping here. We're evaluating additional languages based on Bluesky's user demographics and community requests.

If you'd like to see Skyscraper in your language, let us know. Community feedback directly influences our localization priorities.

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About Skyscraper: Skyscraper is a suite of Bluesky tools including an iOS app, trending hashtags API, and keyword monitoring. Built with SwiftUI and the AT Protocol, Skyscraper is designed to help users get the most out of Bluesky—now in five languages.