Amey-Thakur Pseudo-localization
Pseudo-localisation replaces every translatable string with a transformed version of itself: accented so it stays readable, padded so it is longer, and bracketed so truncation and concatenation are obvious. It finds most localisation bugs before spending anything on translators.
Method
- Accent the characters while keeping them readable. Transformed text should still be recognisable to a reviewer, so problems stand out without making the app unusable.
- Pad every string substantially. Around thirty to forty percent longer approximates the worst realistic expansion and surfaces clipping immediately (see text-expansion-layout).
- Bracket the whole string. Visible start and end markers reveal truncation and show instantly when two strings were concatenated in code (see string-externalization).
- Leave anything untransformed visible as a finding. Text that appears unchanged is hardcoded and was never externalized, which is the main thing this exercise detects.
- Run it as a build mode anyone can switch on. A pseudo locale in the app's locale list means designers and reviewers can check their own screens without a special build.
- Include a mirrored pseudo locale for direction. A pseudo RTL locale catches layout assumptions long before an actual RTL language is added (see rtl-layout).
Boundaries
- Pseudo-localisation tests mechanics, not meaning; it cannot tell you a phrase is confusing or culturally wrong.
- It approximates expansion and cannot predict a specific language's actual length.
- Passing pseudo-localisation does not mean the product is ready to ship in a locale, only that the plumbing works.