How to Automate Localization Testing 

Kassidy Kelley , Managing Editor

February 23rd, 2023

When you launch a software product or application into a local market, you want to ensure its flawless functionality. Localization testing is a critical process in the software development life cycle that ensures the software is accurately localized and functions as expected in the target market.

However, as with any testing process, localization testing can be time-consuming, repetitive, and error-prone, especially when dealing with multiple languages and locales. It’s ripe for automation.

Let’s dive deeper into the power of automation and provide some useful tips and techniques on how to automate localization testing.

What is localization testing?

Localization testing ensures applications are appropriate for your target audience’s language and culture. The initial tests target linguistic, translation, currency, and symbolic accuracy. But localization testing is about more than just language; several UI elements are affected by language and location. Character counts from translation, images with text, and grammatical problems can cause UI shifts and misalignment.

Localization tests are excellent cases for automation; repeatable, stable, and consistent tests are prime for automation. The test cases you create will be active throughout the product lifecycle.

Preparing your tools for automating localization

Test case management

Test Rail

Xray

Issue tracking

Jira

Lighthouse

Test automation

Headspin Browserstack Appium Selenium

Staff testing

In-house

Outsourcing

Crowdsourcing

Steps to automate your localization testing

1. Scope your project

The first step is to identify which aspects of your application require location testing and how your app will be deployed. For example, how many countries are you in, and what languages, operating systems, and devices will be used? What currencies do you cover?

2. Prepare your test cases

You will also want to prepare your test cases to detail the testing process and scenarios you will test, including the specific features, methodologies, and review of results. You will also need to write test scripts to automate the testing process and produce logs for review.

Examples of test cases will include:

• Formats for dates and times
• Local currencies
• Keyboard integration
• Texts and visuals that may be perceived as sensitive
• Localized legal obligations
• Vocabulary and translations

3. Run initial tests

With scripts ready to go, you can do initial testing to ensure that your scripts cover all the testing scenarios and provide the necessary information to make any adjustments. It’s essential to do several initial testing runs to determine a comprehensive and consistent approach before rolling out localization testing on a broader scale.

Your automated testing should include best practices for localization testing, including testing as early in the development process as you can.

4. Integrate your tools

At the same time, you need to integrate automated testing tools for managing and tracking your test results into your development pipeline. Automated testing is part of your software development and should be part of a seamless development lifecycle.

5. Create a regression testing strategy

As code changes are made, or new functionality is released, regression testing ensures that localized applications still work as intended and have been unaffected by any recent changes. Automated tests should be repeated at each stage of development in the production environment before apps are deployed.

6. Create a feedback loop

Create a feedback loop to review logs and improve quality. A feedback loop helps you increase efficiency, ensure accuracy, and enhance the user experience by creating consistent communication between localization software and testing teams.

Test automation is crucial in today’s accelerated DevOps cycles, but developers must overcome some common challenges. Working with an experienced and diverse network of localization testing experts can help solve these problems.

Request a demo today and see how Testlio’s Automated Testing services can automate and enhance your localization testing.