Debugging localization

Localization systems don’t require much debugging, but similar tools are key for those doing the localization work.

Since engineers implement localization systems and tools, it’s up to you to provide those tools.

One is the ability to tell which text on screen has been set up for localization or not. One no-code way is to have a “test language” where every string is the word LOCALIZED. This is ideal with the ability to dynamically switch languages, so you can still navigate until you’re at the desired screen.

Another method is to have a mode where every localized string is prefixed with a character. This allows you to still navigate while taking note of which strings are missing the prefix.

Yet another is a mode where each string is its localization key. You may want to pair this with the previous method because sometimes the English text is the key.