The Localization Testing Checklist

Last Updated March 21, 2022

Download the PDF: Free Localization Testing Checklist PDF

If you’ve embarked on the process of localization testing, you might have found yourself quickly getting lost.

There are many steps to follow. It’s important not to skip any if you want your project delivered on time and on budget.

We can help with your localization projects.

That’s where the localization testing checklist comes into play.

We developed this handy localization testing checklist that will guide you through the process in five sections:

  1. Pre-localization Testing
  2. Regional Specification
  3. Language
  4. Appearance/Layout
  5. Functionality

But first, just in case you’re wondering, here’s a bit more on the definition of localization testing.

Things to know about localization testing before you start

Localization testing is a procedure that assures the accuracy of translation in context. It also ensures your application behaves as expected whether it is for desktop, mobile or online distribution.

Once the translated text is implemented into the user interface, it’s time for localization testers to take the application for a test drive and give it the “ready to go” approval.

If you want learn how this fits into the bigger picture, check out this post on the translation quality assurance process.

The amount of time required for testing your product depends on the word count, the number of dialog boxes/pages to review and also the experience and knowledge of your localization engineers and testers.

Similar to software QA, localization testing is a two-step process where a tester files a defect and then verifies it after engineering addresses the issue.

This two-step process may need to be repeated many times, until all issues have been addressed or deferred to a future version.

The amount of testing will depend on your requirements and the depth of your localization effort. Always make sure to provide your testers with detailed instructions and test cases.

There are situations where you may want to do ad-hoc testing. However, formal testing is a necessary step to ensure quality.

Don’t forget, in localization QA, many different testers will repeat the same functions (as many as the number of languages you have).

Unless you provide a test script, you won’t know if all of them tested the entire product or not.

If you are looking for some tools to make life easier when doing localization testing, here are some free and nearly free tools that might be able to help you out.

Localization Testing Checklist

Our free localization testing checklist will help you run a translation quality assurance process smoothly, from start to finish.

Download the PDF version of the localization testing checklist here.

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