Locale QA checklist

Locale QA checklist

With JavaScript off the boxes still tick, but the progress bar and the text export stay inactive. Printing the page works as a paper copy.

Site or release name (optional)

Language and markup

Every page declares its language on the html element, with a tag such as de-CH or fr.

Passages in a different language carry their own lang attribute.

Each page keeps its main content and its navigation in one language.

Page titles and meta descriptions are written in the language of the page.

Navigation and switching

The language switcher sits in the same place on every page.

Each language is named in itself: Deutsch, Français, Italiano, Rumantsch.

The switcher shows language names, not flags.

Changing language keeps the reader on the matching page when one exists.

Nobody is redirected automatically because of an IP address or browser setting.

Switcher links carry lang and hreflang attributes.

Search signals

Each language version has an address of its own.

Every version lists all alternates, itself included, with hreflang.

Codes use ISO 639-1 languages and ISO 3166-1 regions (GB, never UK).

Canonical tags point at the same-language page, not the source language.

The XML sitemap lists every language version.

An x-default is set wherever a fallback page exists.

Text and layout

Layouts were tested with the longest translation, not with the English draft.

Buttons and menu items still fit when their labels grow.

Words are not baked into images, or each language has its own image file.

The fonts include every character the languages need: umlauts, accents, ç and ñ.

Long German compounds break and hyphenate in sensible places.

Locale formats

Dates follow each reader's convention, such as 14.03.2026 or 14/03/2026.

Numbers and prices use the separators each locale expects.

Consumer prices for Switzerland are given in CHF with VAT included.

Phone numbers include +41 so readers abroad can dial them.

Address and postcode fields accept the formats your readers actually use.

Forms, email and policies

Form labels, hints and error messages are translated.

Confirmation emails and automatic replies exist in every language.

Policy pages exist in each language, or the site states which language version governs.

On-site search returns results in the language being read.

Right-to-left scripts, if used

Right-to-left pages set dir="rtl" on the html element.

Arrows and other directional icons are mirrored; logos and digits are not.

Mixed-direction strings, such as product codes inside Arabic text, display in the right order.

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How to use it

Work through the list on the real site, in every language, ideally on a staging copy before release. A check counts as done when it holds for every language version, not just the first. Where a check does not apply, such as the right-to-left group on a site without Arabic or Hebrew, tick it with a note in your own records so the export does not look unfinished.

The export lists every check with [x] or [ ] in front of it and the name you gave the release, which makes it easy to attach to a ticket or a project log.

Where the checks come from

Language and markup

Declaring the language of each page is WCAG 2.2 success criterion 3.1.1 at Level A ¹, and marking passages in another language is criterion 3.1.2 at Level AA ². Google recommends a single language for the content and navigation of each page ³.

Navigation and switching

The switcher checks follow the principles in our switcher guide: languages named in themselves, no flags, lang and hreflang on options ⁴, and the same position on every page. The redirect check reflects Google's advice to avoid automatic redirection based on what you think a user's language may be ³.

Search signals

The hreflang checks restate Google's documentation: ISO codes, x-default as a fallback, and every version listing every other ⁵. Canonical tags staying within a language prevent conflicting signals.

Text and layout

Short strings expand the most when translated, according to the IBM figures the W3C cites ⁶, which is why buttons and menus get their own check.

Locale formats

Swiss consumer prices are shown in CHF with VAT included, as the Confederation's SME portal summarises ⁷. The other format checks follow our Swiss formats guide.

Right-to-left scripts

The direction checks follow the W3C advice to set dir="rtl" on the html element and not to set base direction with CSS ⁸.

What the checklist is not

It is not an automated audit and it does not prove compliance with any law or standard. A ticked box records that someone checked; it does not replace testing with real readers of each language, and it does not replace legal advice on what your site must publish.

When to use it

• Before launching a new multilingual site.
• Before switching on a new language in an existing site.
• After a redesign or a change of theme, plugin or platform.
• Once a year as a review, since content and templates drift.

Printing

The list prints cleanly from your browser if you prefer paper. The page's header, footer and contact band are hidden in print.