Internationalization (I18N) Sufficiency Testing Presented to Seattle Area Software Quality Assurance Group

1. Internationalization (I18N) Sufficiency TestingPresented to Seattle Area Software Quality Assurance Group June 19 , 2003

2. SASQAG: Internationalization Testing What We Will Cover • Globalization and Its Components • Pre-Testing Checks • Test Environments • Test Checklists • Test Execution • Pseudo Localization Testing

3. SASQAG: Internationalization Testing Globalization • Globalization • The process of designing, developing, and engineering products that can be launched worldwide • Two major Components – Internationalization & Localization • Internationalization (I18N) • Designing/developing software so it can be adapted to various locales and regions • Localization (L10N) • Process of adapting software by translating text and adding locale –specific components • I18N Sufficiency Testing • Ensures software has been properly internationalized according to design rules and is READY to be localized.

4. SASQAG: Internationalization Testing Benefits of I18N Testing • The main goal of I18N testing is to find potentially show stopping software problems before the application is translated and localized into various languages • I18N sufficiency testing must begin as early in the testing cycle as possible • I18N sufficiency testing does not require an in-depth knowledge of many locale specific issues, a fully localized environment, or native linguistic skills.

5. SASQAG: Internationalization Testing Pre-Testing Checklist • Step 1: Review developmental specs to determine whether they accounted for international considerations • Code review • English language compatibility? • DB or Unicode enabled from the ground up? • Product Rules • Menu and dialogue box designs; Did they leave room for text expansion? • Source Code Control Rules • All editions are using Unicode and/or DBCS based on a single executable • Coding Conventions • Code should NOT assume that characters are 8 or 16 bit

6. SASQAG: Internationalization Testing Setting Up Your Test Environment • Step 1: Prepare the required SW and HW • Localized Operating Systems • Localized HW • Localized third party SW utilized by the product you are testing • Verify that the network/HW peripherals that are needed to run the product are capable of running in a multi-locale environment • Step 2: Install the Environment • Step 3: Configure the Environment • Setting up machines for multi-boot • Using test bed images • Managing the test bed matrix • Maintain an English Reference Environment (Whenever Possible)

7. SASQAG: Internationalization Testing Setting up Your Test Environment Continued • Step 4: Define the Configuration Management Process • Document the configuration of each machine in the environment to ensure that you are using the right products to test your application • Detail the process for saving and restoring the multi-boot and test bed imagining

8. SASQAG: Internationalization Testing Test Checklist • Items needed to Create the I18N Test Plan • Installation/Configuration Guides • English test plan and test cases • Online Help/User Guides • During Test Plan Creation ensure that you: • Check all areas in which a user can enter, modify, print, edit, or copy data • Create test cases to verify that target language characters can be correctly entered and displayed • Build in non English data and environment testing • Verify that a user can read/write to the target platform file system • Set Up a Testing Priority Level • Types of testing (I18N, LVT, etc.) • Categories (documentation, help files, screen shots, etc.) • Locale Priority ( i.e Chinese then French)

9. SASQAG: Internationalization Testing Test Checklist Part 2 • Testing Team and Development Team Interaction • It is important for Test Engineers to understand the scope of any code changes made by the development team • For example, areas of the code that are unchanged during I18N should have less emphasis during the test phase

10. SASQAG: Internationalization Testing Test Execution • 1. International Setup Testing • Installer Issues • 2. Testing International Character/Text Support • Edit fields can display extended/multi-byte characters • Cut/Copy/Paste/Drag extended character testing • Euro Symbol Testing • Unicode Character testing • IME Testing • 3. Files can be saved with extended ASCII and multi-byte character names • 4. Files named with extended ASCII and multi-byte characters can be opened or deleted

11. SASQAG: Internationalization Testing Test Execution Part 2 • 5. Files or OLE objects named with extended and multi-byte characters can be cut, copied, pasted, and embedded in documents or other containers • 6. Files named with and containing extended ASCII and multi-byte characters can be printed • 7. Testing Internationally Local Conventions • Time/date settings • Currency testing • Sort order/Collation • Address/name fields • 8. Other considerations • Geopolitical issues/locale-sensitive issues

12. SASQAG: Internationalization Testing Pseudo Localization Testing • Pseudo Localization is a process to ensure that three main issues are covered within a software product UI. • Non Extracted Strings (hard coded strings) • Truncations • Concatenated Strings • Pseudo-localization simulates the process of localizing products, by completing many of the localization tasks without actually using translation. • Also called Localizability Process

13. SASQAG: Internationalization Testing Pseudo Loc FAQs • When do you perform Pseudo Loc? • During core code development prior to localization • Typically multiple cycles • How do you perform Pseudo Loc? • Extract the strings into a resource file • Add extended characters to simulate European and Asian languages

14. SASQAG: Internationalization Testing An Example of Pseudo Localization

15. SASQAG: Internationalization Testing Questions and Answers • Conclusions • Questions Anyone? • I may have an answer • I may also have a heart attack

16. SASQAG: Internationalization Testing Thank You and Resources • Thanks SASQAG for asking me to come here tonight • White Papers available on our website, www.symbio-group.com • If you have additional questions, I can be reached at dginsburg@symbio-group.com