Localization testing: why does an application or website need it?

Imagine this picture: you developed an application and then released it in several languages at once. But after the release, you found errors in different language versions:
a developer’s worst nightmare. So that’s exactly what localization testing is for, to avoid such unpleasant situations.

Today, the US is no longer the largest player in the mobile app market. China and India compete for the title world leader… And today it is necessary, and even more than once, to check all language versions before release. After all, the cost of even a tiny mistake can be very high.

Development companies, as a rule, do not immediately think about testing localization. And yet, this process must be included in the development. Let’s take a closer look at what localization testing is, what important stages it includes, and why it is needed at all.

What is localization testing?

In short, localization testing is checking the content of an application or website against linguistic, cultural requirements, as well as the specifics of a particular country or region.

Localization testing is a type of quality control that is carried out during product development. This type of testing helps to find bugs or translation errors in the localized version before the final product reaches the user. The purpose of testing is to find and fix bugs in different localized versions of the product for different markets and locales.

It is important to note that localization is not just translation into multiple languages, and localization and linguistic testing are not the same thing. How does localization testing differ from linguistic testing? Linguistic testing mainly consists of checking for spelling, grammatical and stylistic errors. And localization testing also includes checking time and currency formats, graphics, icons, photographs, color schemes and a dozen other fine details.

Why is localization testing so important?

The main task of testing is to make the product look as if it was originally created in the language of the target audience and is fully culturally and regionally responsive.

Localization increases customer loyalty to your brand. Here are the specific numbers: about 72.1% of Internet users prefer to shop on websites in their native language. Even those who are fluent in English still prefer to browse the web in their own language…

Localization testing ensures high quality applications and sites in the global market. Let’s imagine this situation: you have created an application and are planning to release it in English, Russian and German versions. You have hired the best translators, so you are 100% sure of the correct spelling and grammar. But suddenly you find that the German strings are longer than the character limit for some buttons in the app, or that the time and date formats on the site do not match the region. Localization testing exists in order to prevent such situations, because problems with translated content can arise even when the texts are grammatically correct. If you want your app or website to look native, pay due attention to the context and subtleties of the local culture.

What to look for when testing localization?

Localization testing is not only about checking spelling, grammar and correct translation. In order not to miss anything in this process, we have made a checklist of the most important things. So let’s get started.

Preparatory stage

For localization testing to go smoothly, you need to prepare for it.

Prepare the necessary documentation for testers and any site or product information that may be useful.
Create a glossary and translation memory to help testers interpret the terms used correctly.
If your app or site has been translated before, please attach the previous versions for your reference. You can also use specialized services or databases to store all translation versions and organize access to them.
Create a bug tracker – a document or platform where you will record all the bugs found during localization testing. This makes it easier to control bug fixes and communicate with the rest of the team.

Checking regional and cultural characteristics

This is a very important step in localization testing. You will need screenshots or a localized build of the application. You need to check the following:

Match the date and time format to the selected region.
Formats for phone numbers and addresses.
Color schemes (this is important as the same color can have different meanings in different cultures). For instance, White color symbolizes good luck in Western countries, but in Asian culture it is associated with mourning.
Compliance of product names with regional standards.
Currency format.
Units.

Linguistic check

At this stage, language features are checked. You need to make sure that:

The same terminology is used on all pages of the site or application screens.
There are no grammatical errors.
There are no spelling errors.
The rules of punctuation are followed.
Correct text direction is used (right to left or left to right).
The correct names of brands, cities, places, positions and more are indicated.

User interface or appearance

This is necessary so that your software product looks flawless in any language. Be sure to check the following:

All text labels on pictures are localized.
The layout of the language versions is the same as the original.
Line breaks and line breaks on pages / screens are positioned correctly.
Conversations, pop-ups and notifications are displayed correctly.
The length of the lines does not exceed the existing limits and the text is displayed correctly (sometimes the translation text is longer than the original and does not fit on the buttons).

Example

The Alconost team encountered one such case while working with DotEmu and their game Blazing Chrome. In the Spanish version, the number of characters in the translation of the text of the buttons exceeded the limits for them. The word “Next” was too long in Spanish: “Siguiente”. The Alconost team found this bug during localization testing and suggested replacing “Siguiente” with “Seguir” for correct display in the interface. It is through the detection of such problems and their elimination that the software interface and the efficiency of user interaction are improved.

Functionality

This is one of the final and most important stages when you need to check if a localized application is working correctly. We advise you to pay attention to the following:

The functionality of a localized application or site.
H = Hyperlinks (make sure they work in all language versions, are legal for the specified region and will not be blocked by local or regional firewalls).
The work of the introductory functions.
Support for special characters for different locales and languages.
Keyboard shortcuts work.
List sorting function.
Support for various fonts.
Support for various format separators.

What difficulties can arise when testing localization?

The localization testing process comes with its own problems and pitfalls, and it is better to know about them in advance. Indeed, even a well-known proverb says: “forewarned is forearmed.”

One of the main difficulties is insufficient knowledge of the target language… Naturally, it is impossible to know all the languages of the world. But there are localization, internationalization and translation companies. For example, Alconost offers its customers a full range of services for localization testing and quality assessment… Localized texts are always additionally checked by native translators who also have extensive experience in localization testing. And you can be 99.99% sure that all regional features will be taken into account.

Another point that can significantly complicate testing localization is poor knowledge of the product itself… This often becomes a problem if the product is niche. Localization agencies usually have experience in various fields and know that the team needs to study the product in advance and ask the customer all the necessary questions in order to fully understand the meaning of the product.

Also keep in mind that testing localization can be quite long process, since it takes time to study the features of different regions. To simplify this process and meet deadlines, we recommend integrating the localization quality control phase into the development lifecycle. Make your localization testing process continuous: translate new lines as soon as they appear and test immediately. Planning localization testing ahead of time will help you release your product on time.

Last but not least, companies often forget to create a document or account on a cloud platform to track all bugs while testing localization. Without this, you can eventually “lose” some of the mistakes or, worse, forget to fix them. Therefore, a clear mechanism is needed for storing error detection and resolution records.

Need help with localization / translation? – We at Alconost are always happy to help!

About Us

Alconost professionally deals with localization of games, applications and sites in over 70 languages. Linguistic testing, cloud platform with API, continuous localization, 24/7 project management, any format of string resources.
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