pseudolokalisaatiota

Pseudolokalisaatiota, often translated as pseudolocalization, is a software development technique used to test the readiness of an application for internationalization (i18n) and localization (l10n) without actually performing a full translation. Instead of translating the application's text into another language, pseudolocalization replaces characters or strings with ones that are statistically similar to those found in target languages. This typically involves expanding string lengths, introducing accented characters, or altering character order.

The primary goal of pseudolocalization is to identify potential problems that might arise during actual translation. For example, it can reveal issues with how the user interface handles text that is longer than the original English. If a pseudolocalized string overflows its allocated space, it indicates a design flaw that needs to be addressed before a real translator spends time on it. It also helps uncover hardcoded strings, incorrect handling of special characters, or problems with string concatenation.

This method allows development teams to catch many internationalization bugs early in the development cycle, saving time and resources. It's a cost-effective way to ensure that the application's architecture can support multilingual content before committing to the expense of professional translation services. Pseudolocalization does not replace the need for actual human testing with translated content, but it serves as a valuable preliminary step in the localization process.