Malaysian app searches often mix English, Bahasa Malaysia, brand names, abbreviations, and colloquial terms. Treating each written form as an unrelated query hides shared intent and makes demand look more fragmented than it is.
Create an intent layer above the raw query. Keep the original text for analysis, then map variants to a reviewed concept. Involve people who understand the product category and local usage; automated translation alone will miss context.
Measure performance both at the raw-query and intent level. This reveals whether one language variant receives poorer results and gives content or search teams a specific, testable issue to address.