Localization Research & Consistency Reference

Research and consistency discipline for localized apps that match platform conventions. It covers the work before and after translation that decides whether translations feel native or machine-translated.

When to Use This Reference

Use this reference when:

• Matching app terminology to Apple's platform vocabulary (Music, Mail, Calendar, Photos, Settings)
• Building a project glossary before a translation pass
• Writing translator context for VoiceOver-only strings
• Stress-testing layout before real translations arrive
• Choosing a Translation Management System, or TMS (Crowdin, Lokalise, Phrase, SimpleLocalize)
• Preparing for Apple Design Award Inclusivity review
• Auditing existing translations for consistency or platform match

Example Prompts

Questions you can ask your assistant that will draw from this reference:

• "How does Apple Music translate 'Up Next' in French?"
• "Where can I read Apple's own Siri phrase wording for a locale?"
• "How do I build a localization glossary for my app?"
• "Should I pseudolocalize before paying for translations?"
• "Which Translation Management System should I use for an .xcstrings project?"
• "How should I write translator comments for VoiceOver accessibility labels?"
• "What's the difference between Accented Pseudolanguage and Double-Length Pseudolanguage?"

What's Covered

Apple Terminology Matching

• Apple's shipped translations inside the simulator runtime (Music.app/<lang>.lproj, AppShortcuts.strings)
• Apple Support multi-locale pages (authoritative cross-check)
• applelocalization.com (community database, sanity-check only)
• 15 media-app terms worth looking up first, plus a generic-app list
• URL-swap workflow for locale comparison

Project Termbase (Glossary)

• What belongs in a termbase (6 categories)
• Markdown table format with source attribution
• When to build it (before the first translation pass, before a new locale, before Apple Design Award or App Store review, and after a terminology complaint)
• Storage location options

VoiceOver-Aware Comments

• Why spoken strings need different translation than visible labels
• VoiceOver: comment prefix convention
• Pairing with .accessibilityLabel and .accessibilityHint

Pseudolocalization

• Four Xcode scheme modes (Accented, Right-to-Left, Double-Length, Bounded String) and the launch arguments behind them
• When to run each
• Workflow sequence to catch hardcoded strings, layout breaks, and right-to-left bugs

Translation Management Systems

• When a TMS is warranted (several locales at once, or a review and approval workflow) and when it isn't
• Comparison of Crowdin, Lokalise, Phrase, SimpleLocalize
• Round-trip workflow with .xcstrings
• Termbase integration

Pre-Submission Workflow

• 8-step sequence from pseudolocalization through device testing
• Ordered to minimize the cost of issues discovered late

Key Pattern

Apple Terminology Cross-Check

1. Find Apple Support article covering the term
   → support.apple.com/en-us/<article-id>
2. Swap locale segment to target language
   → support.apple.com/fr-fr/<article-id>
3. Extract Apple's canonical translation
4. Record in project glossary with source attribution

VoiceOver Translator Comment Convention

String(
    localized: "Double tap to change artwork",
    comment: "VoiceOver: spoken hint for the artwork button. Not visible on screen."
)

The VoiceOver: prefix signals to translators (and TMS filters) that the string is spoken, not read, so they translate it as a full spoken instruction rather than a UI label.

Documentation Scope

This page documents the localization-research-ref skill (in the axiom-integration suite). It covers the research and consistency discipline around the Xcode workflow. For the mechanics (String Catalog setup, SwiftUI and UIKit APIs, plurals, right-to-left layout, locale-aware formatters, and Xcode 26's AI-generated translator comments), see Localization & Internationalization.

Related

• Accessibility Diagnostics – VoiceOver labels and hints (the strings this reference helps translate)
• hig – HIG terminology conventions

Resources

Apple: /xcode/localizing-and-varying-text-with-a-string-catalog, /xcode/localization, /accessibility/voiceover

WWDC: 2025-225 (Xcode 26 localization), 2023-10155 (String Catalogs), 2021-10221 (Streamline your localized strings)

Community: applelocalization.com (sanity-check database, not authoritative)

Support pages (authoritative cross-check): support.apple.com/en-us → swap locale segment

TMS: Crowdin, Lokalise, Phrase, SimpleLocalize (all support .xcstrings natively)