Although localization and, by extension, localization testing are not
strictly a part of the development of world-ready software, localization becomes
possible once you have developed world-ready software. If you do decide to
localize, you should be familiar with the scope and purpose of localization
testing. Localizers translate the product UI and sometimes change some initial
settings to adapt the product to a particular local market.
This definitely
reduces the "world-readiness" of the application. That is, a globalized
application whose UI and documentation are translated into a language spoken in
one country will retain its functionality. However, the application will become
less usable in the countries where that language is not spoken.
Localization testing checks how well the build has been translated into a
particular target language. This test is based on the results of globalized
testing where the functional support for that particular locale has already been
verified. If the product is not globalized enough to support a given language,
you probably will not try to localize it into that language in the first place!
You should be aware that pseudo-localization, which was discussed earlier,
does not completely eliminate the need for functionality testing of a localized
application. When you test for localizability before you localize, the chances
of having serious functional problems due to localization are slim. However, you
still have to check that the application you're shipping to a particular market
really works. Now you can do it in less time and with fewer resources.
