Pseudo Language Expert
Pseudo Language Expert helps to define and apply a pseudo language for active target language. Pseudo language is used for testing internationalization and localization quality, before spending money on translations.
There are three different languages:
Cover
Every native character is replaced with a replace character. This tests for missed or hard coded strings.
Replace every character with
Type the character that is used as the replacing character.
Minimum
Every native string is replaced with a single character. This tests that the user interface works for minimum length strings.
Reduction
The native string can be reduced in two ways:
| Reduce strings to the first character in the string | Write the first character of the native string in the language column. |
| Reduce strings to the custom string | Write the custom string in the language column. |
Pseudo Language
Every native string is extended and/or altered to simulate general European string extension and character diacritics. This tests the ability of the user interface to handle European languages.
This dialog is used when the language is a European language.
Expand
The string is expanded. For example "Sample" becomes "Sample________X". This can be used to test that the user interface handles longer translations correctly. In many cases English is shorted that other languages. The expansion depends on the length of the native string.
Enclose
The string is enclosed in braces. For example "Sample" becomes "{Sample}". This can be used to test that both the beginning and the end of the string are visible.
Alternate case
Character case is alternated. For example "Sample" becomes "SaMpLe".
Upper case
Character case is changed. For example "Sample" becomes "SAMPLE".
Diacritics
Diacritics are added to the characters. For example "Sample" becomes "Sämplé". This can be used to test that the user interface handles diacritic and accented characters correctly.
Expand
Specifies the expand character.
Last
Specifies the last character
These are used only if the Expand check box in the Options group is checked.
Expand percentage
Specifies the expansion percentage.
| 1...5 | The native string is expanded by 200 percent. For example the word "red" that is three characters long is expanded to nine characters, "red_____X" |
| 6...10 | The native string is expanded by 100 percent. |
| 11...20 | The native string is expanded by 70 percent. |
| 21...30 | The native string is expanded by 50 percent. |
| 31...50 | The native string is expanded by 30 percent. |
| over 50 | The native string is expanded by 20 percent. |
These are used only if the Expand check box in the Options group is checked.
The above expanding percentages may seem to be quite high. In many cases the translated words or phrases in other languages are only slightly longer than in English. But there always exist translations that are much longer than the English one. For example the word "red" is only three characters in English but eight characters ("punainen") in Finnish.