Localization is a crucial aspect of game development, ensuring that your game resonates with audiences worldwide. Unreal Engine provides robust tools for localizing content, and among these, the -culture=keys debug culture stands out as an invaluable feature for developers and QA teams.

What is -culture=keys?

The -culture=keys setting is a debug culture that replaces localized text in your project with its corresponding localization keys. This allows developers and QA teams to:

• Easily identify the localization key for any piece of text in the UI.
• Detect unlocalized text, which will appear in its original format instead of as a key.
• Quickly pinpoint misformatted or mistranslated strings for further investigation.

Activating -culture=keys

You can enable the -culture=keys debug culture using either the console or the command line. Here’s how:

1. Command Line: Add -culture=keys to the command line arguments when launching your game or editor. For example: MyGame.exe -culture=keys

Benefits for Localization QA

Using -culture=keys streamlines the localization debugging process by making it easier to:

• Verify String Mappings: See exactly which localization key corresponds to each piece of text.
• Spot Missing Localizations: Unlocalized text is immediately apparent, as it won’t display a localization key.
• Check Consistency: Ensure that all keys are correctly mapped to localized content.

Best Practices

To make the most of the -culture=keys feature:

1. Include Key Documentation: Maintain a clear and well-documented localization key structure, making it easier for QA to trace and correct issues.
2. Test Regularly: Incorporate -culture=keys into regular QA workflows to catch localization issues early.
3. Coordinate with Translators: Share insights from the debug culture with translators to improve the overall quality of localized content.
4. Automate Detection: Use automation tools to flag unlocalized or improperly localized text during builds.