Internationalisation

For software that will be used in multiple markets and languages it needs to consider all the possible variances across them. When we are designing and developing software for international markets we have to think of those considerations right from the start. Just like we would for accessibility or security. Think of it as building a solid foundation that allows your application to switch and behave appropriately for a global audience.

The whole point of internationalisation is to make it easier to then localise your software for specific markets. So, things like making sure your software can handle different character set inputs (like those used in Japanese or Arabic). That your user interface (UI) is responsive to accommodate varying text lengths in different languages. A big obstacle to doing this is hardcoding assumptions like date formats or currency symbols. That can be a big problem down the line as new languages are added.

For testers, it means we need to be thinking about whether the software has been built with this global perspective in mind. What are the risks? Can it handle different languages, date formats and postal locations? Can it handle very short or very long names? Are there any cultural considerations we need to be aware of and look into?

Internationalisation is about ensuring this isn't just software that works in the softwares primary language, but works culturally and linguistically, for every single person who might use it, no matter who they are or where they are in the world. What do we need to test to prove that's the case?

Internationalisation Testing aims to build globally-ready software that can easily adapt to any market’s cultural, linguistic, or legal requirements. Different to Localisation Testing which takes an Internationalised product and adapts its contents (whether text, image, sound, or color) to maximize its chances of success in the target market.

A good example of this is Global eCommerce retail websites for fashion. For Internationalisation Testing good stakeholder discovery engagement would be Code Architects, Head of Global Product, Performance Marketing Teams or Trade Optimisation specialists for the brand.