Internationalization

and localization
testing
Viktoriia Yemelianova

September 18, 2019

CONFIDENTIAL 1
Agenda

1. What is localized application!?

2. What is Internationalization & Localization?
3. What is a ‘locale’?
4. Internationalization testing
5. Localization testing
6. Example of test case
7. Example of bug

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What is localized application!?

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What is localized application!?

•Successfully localized product is a

product which is developed with
considering the local culture
•Application is adapted to a particular
language, culture, market and desired
local look-and-feel
•Localization of the entire product
includes software, help files,
documentation, etc.

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What is Internationalization & Localization?

• It is a type of non-functional testing!

• I18N is a process of designing a software
application so that it can be adapted to
various languages and regions without any
changes. Code is completely independent
of any cultural specific information.
Hardcoded strings are put out and stored
in external files (resource bundles) and are
loaded at runtime.
• Whereas L10N is a process of adapting
internationalized software for a specific
region or language by adding local specific
components and translating text.
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QUESTIONS

• Are we able to localize

software which isn’t
internationalized?
• What software is reasonable
to be internationalized?
• What software should be
localized?

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Without internationalization

Localisation could be done with one

of two options:
•Develop the entire product itself in
the desired language
•Completely translate the product
into the desired language too
expensive longer implementation
harder support

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 Distinction
• Overall summary of what is
mean by Globalization,
Internationalization
and Localization Testing?
• Translation is one part
of Localization
• Internationalization is a
prerequisite of Localization
• Internationalization and Loca
lization are parts
of Globalization
• Globalization (World Ready
Application) includes many
business-related activities
outside of the product itself.

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What is a ‘locale’? uk_UA, en_US, en_CA

• A locale consists of basic components

such as language and territory. The main
objective of “i18n” is to externalize all
“cultural specific information” from the
code which means this data is to be
loaded at run time so that, the software
will behave appropriately based on the
locale set /installed to the client
machine.

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Successfully localized product

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Unsuccessful experience

•Nokia unveiled its first-ever

Windows Phones at the Nokia
World conference in London (the
Lumia 800 and the Lumia 710).
•Unfortunately. Nokia learned
too late that Lumia actually
means ‘prostitute’ in Spanish.
•Oops.

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Internationalization testing

• Content is searchable in all required languages

Unicode
1 testing • Different Unicode ranges characters (Cyrillic, Arabic, etc.) are
displayed correctly

• Date/time format, currency format, address, measure formats and

I18n testing
2 so on
• Pictures, icons, pictograms
• Language specifics that affect UX and visibility

Pseudo-l10n
3 testing
• No hardcoded strings or default values in code
• Resources are stored in resource file

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Unicode support - no corrupted data

•Select all languages that application

under the test should support
•Populate all fields with mix of
characters from supported languages
•Validate that values are not
corrupted and displayed based on
requirements
•Ensure that data transformation is
applied correctly

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I18N testing

•Symbols and pictures: no words,

nothing ambiguous
•Sorting
•Left-to-right/right-to-left, vertical
order of writing
•Punctuation
•Word order, conjugation rules,
articles
•Format of date, time, currency

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I18N testing

Images:
•No text on images
•No word play
•No culture specific

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Number formatting

•Thousand separator:
USA - comma (,) 1,025
Germany - period (.) 1.025
Russian - space 1 025
•Digit grouping:
USA - 123,456,789.00
Hindi - 12,34,56,789.00
•Decimal separator:
USA - period (.) 1,025.7
Germany - comma (,) 1.025,7

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Number formatting

•The shape of the numbers, or one-

to-one correspondence to the
decimal set of digits
•Negative numbers
-527 or 527- or (527) or 527
•The placement of the percent sign
(%):
98%, 98 %, 98 pct, %98

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Currency formatting

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Calendar differences

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Date formatting

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Time formatting

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Address formatting

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Telephone number formatting

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Data formatting summary

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Let’s find I18N/L10N defects

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I18N/L10N defects (what about sprite’s name!?)

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How to change application language

•Desktop/Standalone
application: select during
installation

•Web application: browser

settings, application settings

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Integration points

•Application/Support
language

•Application server/
DB server date/time

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Tips and Tricks

• Prepare a suitable test environment for

testing applications
• Follow the correct translation
• Begin testing with static elements
• Pay attention to the controls, and error
messages
• Ensure that data entry can be done in
terms of localization
• Do not forget the national and regional
particularities

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Example of test case

• Summary:
• Verify that “Next Plan”, “Change Plan”, “Print
Preview” buttons are displayed with Chinese after
switching browser language into Chinese
• Steps:
1. Open browser and change language into Chinese
2. Navigate www.identifix.com website
3. Create new vehicle
4. Go to Maintenance tab
5. Observe “Next Plan”, “Change Plan”, “Print Preview”
button
• Expected Result:
• The name of “Next Plan”, “Change Plan”, “Print
Preview” buttons are changed to Chinese
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QUESTIONS?

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Task

• Write several test cases which will verify

any l18n aspect
• Write several test cases which will verify
any L10n aspect
• Find one l18n* and one L10n defect and
create two bug reports
•Application for test cases writing and
bugs finding is up to you
• Google some successfully (or not) localized
products/applications and tell the story to
your mentor
• Deadline: 20-09-2019 18:00
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