Locale formats review and fixes

Why formats go wrong

Three causes of wrong formats in multilingual sites are the ones we look for first:

• Hand-written formats. A template that inserts an apostrophe every three digits looks right in Swiss German and wrong everywhere else.
• One locale for all languages. The site formats everything with one setting, so the French version shows German conventions.
• Borrowed locales. A Swiss site formatted as de-DE shows 1.234,50 where Swiss readers expect 1'234.50, as the comparison in our formats guide shows.

There is a fourth, subtler issue: locale data itself differs between software versions and is not always consistent within one locale. The same guide shows one engine formatting a plain fr-CH number with a decimal comma but a franc price with a decimal point. Correct code is necessary but not sufficient; a fluent reviewer has the last word.

What we review

Prices for Swiss consumers

The Confederation's SME portal states that the price actually payable by the consumer must be shown in CHF and includes public taxes such as VAT, and that for online shops delivery costs should in principle be included in the price shown, or their terms shown clearly next to it ¹. We check product pages, listing pages, the basket and the checkout against that summary and list anything that departs from it. We are not lawyers, so where your situation raises legal questions, such as mixed consumer and business sales, we flag it for your adviser rather than answering it.

How we fix it

Wherever possible, values are stored as data and formatted at display time with the page's locale tag, using the Intl interfaces in browsers or the equivalent in your server language. Where a reviewer wants a format that differs from what the locale data gives, we set it explicitly for that locale and document the reason in the code, so the next developer does not undo it.

Forms get the most hands-on attention: postcode fields that accept the formats of every country you serve, phone fields that accept international numbers, and labels and error messages translated in every language.

Testing

After the fixes, we check every template that shows a date, number or price in each language, on a phone and a desktop. We prepare a short list of sample pages per language for your reviewers, so they can confirm the formats quickly. The language demo shows how your own browser formats the same values in seven locales, which is a useful reference during review.

What you receive

1. A review report listing each format issue with its location and fix.
2. Code changes implementing locale-aware formatting.
3. Form fixes for addresses and phone numbers.
4. A note of any explicit format overrides and why they exist.
5. A sample page list per language for your reviewers.

Who it suits

Sites that already run in several languages and show prices, dates or forms: shops, booking systems, event sites and service businesses with online enquiry forms. On a new site, locale formats are part of multilingual design and do not need to be booked separately.

Price

From CHF 1,800 for a site with a standard content system in up to four languages, plus VAT where applicable. Shops with complex checkout flows are quoted after a first look; see multilingual shops for that case and pricing for every starting point.