How to localize an iOS storyboard

You might find this video tutorial here useful:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF1Rf02QvZQ

The approach is to have a separate storyboard for each language to localize, then let a script take care of propagating the changes you make in the original storyboard for all other languages.

As of iOS 6 you can decide to use Base Internationalization: All storyboard and xib/nib files exist only once in a folder named Base.lproj. The localization of the GUI elements is placed in related .strings files in each localization directory.

For example "MainStoryboard.storyboard" will be placed in Base.lproj. An associated file called "MainStoryboard.strings" is placed in en.lproj and whatever localization you apply.

This is really very handsome, especially in combination with layout constraints!

In iOS 6 there is a Project setting under the Info tab that says "Use Base Internationalization". If you check the box, it will pull all of the strings out of the Storyboard and into internationalized .strings files.

This way you don't have to have multiple copies of the Storyboard.

You can do the localization by changing the titles of the UI elements in code:

self.title = NSLocalizedString("News", nil);

If you want to localize your app in Dutch for example, you would have this in Dutch.lproj/Localizable.strings:

"News" = "Nieuws";

You can then do this for every UI element and language.