Pseudo-locale

A pseudo-locale modifies visible strings automatically during development or testing. It helps developers and QA see where the UI breaks, where placeholders fail, and where text assumptions hide i18n issues. Typical transformations include accenting characters, expanding length, adding visible delimiters, and flipping direction. Pseudo-locales reveal functional and design problems early, reducing rework and translation costs.

Teams use pseudo-locales to find issues that often appear only after localization: clipped text, missing externalization, broken placeholders, font limits, or incorrect handling of right-to-left content. This makes pseudo-locales a direct way to test international readiness before translators start working. However, pseudo-locales do not check tone or cultural fit. Their purpose is to expose technical problems.

🧪 What pseudo-locales change #️⃣

• Accent or extended characters.
• Longer text through padded segments.
• Bracket or symbol markers around each string.
• Unicode direction marks for RTL testing.
• Visible markers around variables and placeholders.

🤔 How to create useful pseudo-locales: #️⃣

1. Accent or substitute characters (e → è/ë) so ASCII-only code reveals encoding or font issues.
2. Expand strings (add padding or repeat words) to test layout and wrapping.
3. Insert visible placeholders or tags around variables to catch missing or reordered placeholders.
4. Apply Unicode RTL markers or mirror characters for right-to-left testing.
5. Automate generation from the source string bundle and include pseudo-locales in smoke tests.

Notes #️⃣

A pseudo-locale must reflect realistic stress on the interface. Avoid extreme growth patterns that no natural language produces, and check every part of the product, including error states and secondary screens. This ensures the test mirrors real usage instead of producing noise.