Companies, around the world, are localizing their brands to be able to capture large audiences. However, most businesses still don’t understand the significance of localization, and they skip it totally in the software localization process. Ignoring localization testing can lead to your spoiled brand reputation and credibility.
The localization should be an integral part of your software and website development process. The reason why most companies don’t really focus on localization testing is because of their lack of awareness about the concept and its significance.
This article will make you understand the importance of localization testing before launching your software and website in a foreign marketplace.
Types of Localization Testing
Linguistic Testing
Firstly, you must check your website and software-translated content for its accuracy, clarity, and relevance to the original brand message. For linguistic testing, you can adopt automated or/and manual QA testing using some top localization management platform. For automated translation, you usually use a professional translation management system with QA testing features. It will identify errors in your content in seconds and also provide suggestions for improvements.
On the other hand, in manual QA testing, a panel of translation editors proofread, review and edit the translated content. In the QA testing phase, it is ensured that content is accurate and culturally relevant, tone and style are on point, and there is no repetitive or missing content.
Functional Testing
Functional testing of your software and websites deals with the usability of your user interface and ease of navigation. In this type of testing, you make sure that you have localized your software with local formatting. The format of your data, time, and phone number should be familiar to local audiences. In this phase, you must test that your software’s internationalized interface works with both Android and iOS operating systems. Also, recheck all hyperlinks and make sure they are direct to the right URLs. Your translation project management system may have features to do real-time localization testing, or you can also integrate other apps into your TMS if needed.
Design Testing
The design localization of your software and website deals with the design, layouts, and other aesthetic elements. Your localized design and content must go in harmony with each other. There should not be any overlapping or weird blank spaces on the page that are not there in the original version of your software or website. You have to be mindful of the left-to-right and right-to-left language scripts. Similarly, your target language may take less or more space than the source language when translated.
UX Testing
In the end, you do UX testing, where you test all elements of your website and software that are contributing to the user experience. If you really want to appeal to your foreign audience, simply making an exact duplicate of your English website or software might not help. You must adapt your overall customer experience considering the foreign audience’s demands, preferences, and interests. Make sure to test your software for target regions before launching because different markets may behave differently to your product based on multiple demographic factors.
Perks of Performing Localization Testing
To make your localization efforts turn into something valuable for your business that will help you grow, you must always perform localization testing. Here are some benefits of localization testing that you must know about.
- When you perform localization testing of your software for each region, it gives you some insight into how your audience would respond to the product and this way you can avoid localization project failure.
- Localization testing helps you look for the gaps in your software product and the actual needs of the market. So, you don’t waste your time, and resources on making wrong decisions. Only focus on the stuff that actually matters to your target customers and direct your efforts accordingly.
- Through proper localization testing, you can ensure continuous localization and scale your app, software, or website in foreign markets. It will ensure the sustainable growth of your business in a foreign market.
- In the end, better localization always helps you build your brand’s credibility in a foreign marketplace. When your brand seems more local and cares about the unique needs of target markets, it promotes trust and appeals to more audiences.
Conclusion
If you want to make your brand localization successful in a foreign market, you must perform timely QA testing for language, design, UX, and other functionalities. Regardless of the size and scope of your company, you must perform an end-to-end localization for your software, apps, and website to ensure long-term business success in a foreign market.
