What is the best way to test web application localization and internationalization?

1 Define the scope

Before you start testing, you need to define the scope of your localization and internationalization efforts. Which locales and languages do you want to support? How much content and functionality do you need to localize? What are the quality standards and expectations of your target audience? By defining the scope, you can prioritize the most important features and scenarios to test, and avoid wasting time and resources on irrelevant or low-impact issues.

2 Choose the tools

Testing web application localization and internationalization requires the use of the right tools and methods. Browser developer tools, language settings, and extensions can be used to inspect and modify elements, styles, and scripts. Different browsers and devices should be used to check compatibility and responsiveness. Online translation tools like Google Translate or Bing Translator can verify accuracy and quality of localized content, while localization platforms like Transifex or Crowdin can manage translation workflow and collaborate with translators. Automated testing tools like Selenium or Cypress can perform functional and regression testing across locales and languages. Manual testing tools like Bugsnag or Jira can report and track localization and internationalization issues.

3 Check the content

Testing web application localization and internationalization is essential for ensuring clear, consistent, and culturally appropriate content. Common issues include text overflow, which occurs when the length and width of translated text changes, resulting in it not fitting within the allocated space or overlapping with other elements. To avoid this, flexible layouts, dynamic fonts, and adequate margins and padding must be employed. Additionally, text direction must be taken into account; some languages are written from right to left (RTL), while others are written from left to right (LTR). The dir attribute in HTML tags and appropriate CSS properties such as direction, text-align, and float must be used to support this. Lastly, different locales and languages have different conventions for formatting numbers, dates, currencies, units, and punctuation; the Intl object in JavaScript or a library such as Moment.js or Numeral.js can be used to format the text according to the user's locale and language.

4 Check the functionality

Testing web application localization and internationalization is essential to ensure the same features and performance for each locale and language. Common functionality issues may arise, such as input validation, navigation and layout, and performance and compatibility. To avoid input validation issues, you should use the input type, pattern, and placeholder attributes in your HTML tags, as well as regular expressions or libraries such as Validator.js or Parsley.js. Additionally, responsive design, media queries, and grid or flexbox systems should be used to create a fluid and flexible web application. Furthermore, you should optimize your web application by compressing images, minifying code, or using caching and CDN services to avoid performance and compatibility issues.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?