Localization Testing vs. Globalization Testing: What’s the Difference?

Globalization has transformed the way we live. It wasn’t too long ago when it was unlikely for people to interact with anyone outside of their specific region, let alone their own country. Now, however, we can talk with people on the other side of the globe in a matter of seconds. That’s why we have to make sure that our software is compatible with people from all across the world. Thankfully, there are two ways to accomplish this: localization testing and globalization testing.

Localization testing

Localization testing is a software testing technique that customizes your website or application for a specific culture or region. It tests only the local version of your product, so it takes very little time and support cost. It checks for such things as linguistic accuracy, typographical errors, and software compatibility in regard to a particular locality. So if, for instance, you wanted a different version of your software for a town in Spain, you would use localization testing to ensure that it worked properly for users in that town.

Globalization testing

Globalization testing, meanwhile, casts the net much wider than localization testing. In other words, while localization testing is for a specific region, globalization testing makes sure that one version of your product is compatible with any culture or region across the world. It allows your software to be used with different languages while also detecting any design problems for people in other parts of the globe.

At Beta Breakers Quality Assurance Lab, our software testing services can ensure your product is compatible with anyone, all across the globe. Give us a call at 415-878-2990 to learn more.