What is pseudolocalization?

Pseudolocalization (or pseudo-localization) is a software testing method used for testing the internationalization aspects of software. Instead of translating the text into a foreign language, as in the process of localization, the textual elements of an application are replaced with an altered version of the original language.

Developers may use this function to pre-fill languages with content before translators start working on the texts.

For example after applying pseudolocalization Account Settings becomes [!!! Àççôûñţ Šéţţîñĝš !!!]

Applying pseudolocalization

To get started, proceed to Lokalise and open your project. Then, choose the keys that you want to apply pseudolocalization to by ticking the checkboxes next to their names:

In the bulk actions menu choose the Pseudolocalize action:

Pseudolocalization will be performed using the base language values therefore it cannot be applied to the base language itself. Moreover, it will be applied only to the currently displayed languages. To hide or reveal a language, tick or untick checkboxes in the languages dropdown:

Before applying the bulk action, you can adjust two settings:

Increase length, % — enter a number if you'd like to increase the length of the pseudolocalizes string relative to the original text. This is very useful when pseudolocalizing into languages that are known to be longer than the source language (i.e. German is generally around 30% longer than English).
Add brackets — it is recommended that brackets are added to psuedolocalized strings so they are easier to spot in the app/on the website. This option will enclose the resulting string in brackets with exclamation points [!!! !!!].

Once you are ready, click Proceed.