Chapter 10. Foreign-Language Testing

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Making the Words and Pictures Make Sense

• Translation Issues

• Localization Issues

• Configuration and Compatibility Issues

• How Much Should You Test?

Si eres fluente en más de un idioma y competente probando programas de computadora, usted tiene una habilidad muy deseada en el mercado.

Wenn Sie eine zuverläßig Software Prüferin sind, und fließend eine fremd sprache, ausser English, sprechen können, dann können Sie gut verdienen.

Translated roughly from Spanish and German, the preceding two sentences read: If you are a competent software tester and are fluent in a language other than English, you have a very marketable skill set.

Most software today is released to the entire world, not just to a certain country or in a specific language. Microsoft shipped Windows XP with support for 106 different languages and dialects, from Afrikaans to Hungarian to Zulu. Most other software companies do the same, realizing that the U.S. English market is less than half of their potential customers. It makes business sense to design and test your software for worldwide distribution.

This chapter covers what's involved in testing software written for other countries and languages. It might seem like a straightforward process, but it's not, and you'll learn why.

Highlights of this chapter include

• Why just translating is not enough

• How words and text are affected

• Why footballs and telephones are important

• The configuration and compatibility issues

• How large of a job testing another language is