Quality Assurance

Functional Testing

Functional testing pertains specifically to software and online documentation that is displayed on native operating systems. Its purpose is to ensure that the localization process did not affect the functionality of the software and that the content displays correctly on the screen. For each project, a custom test script is prepared to review every screen, button, dialog box and menu option for functionality, as well as various linguistic issues, including text expansion, sizing, and text placement.

In most cases, functional testing is performed by Lingo Systems' engineers in Lingo Systems' testing lab. Once a testing plan has been developed, a Lingo Systems engineer prepares a localized version of the executable by converting the files that are returned from the linguists into either resource files or application files (EXE and DLL) format. These files are then examined to determine if any of the UI objects (such as buttons or dialog boxes) need to be resized as a result of text expansion. Our engineer will also review whether character sets display correctly, functionality of links and bookmarks, and formatting. A draft of the application is then built for use in testing. This testing may be performed on whatever platform is requested by the client.

Any defects that are noted in the functional testing phase are logged in a Defect Report. They are then corrected in the source files as necessary and sent back to the client for a new build prior to being returned to Lingo Systems for regression testing. For this later step, the original test script is re-executed by a QA specialist, with particular attention paid to the areas where defects were previously reported.

All defects are fixed by Lingo Systems in our own testing laboratory. In our experience, most defects relate to text placement and sizing issues. In the event a linguistic defect is detected, the QA specialist checks the linguist's comments against the latest build to verify that the content requires correction. Linguistic corrections are generally made directly in the source files (whenever possible). All functional defects (including sizing and text placement defects) are corrected by our engineers rather than by linguists.

For broader testing requirements, Lingo Systems partners with PCTest (located in Portland, Oregon). This alliance allows us to provide Enterprise-wide testing services for hardware, software, and web/e-commerce applications. PCTest's state-of-the-art testing lab is unrivalled in the Pacific Northwest. With a rolling inventory of more than 1,000 computers, PCTest can provide large-scale network testing for any size client or system configuration. Core testing solutions include compatibility, accessibility, load and stress, benchmarking, functionality, and performance. PCTest also offers a comprehensive outsourcing solution to supplement or replace in-house resources—providing greater capacity at a lower cost.