German QA: What Reviewers Should Actually Check
- Apr 4
- 6 min read
Updated: 18 hours ago
German QA is not only about grammar. In real localization projects, many of the problems reviewers catch are much more practical: number style, phone number display, capitalization, formal address, punctuation, and whether the wording still fits on a small screen.
This is what makes German useful in QA. A translation can be accurate and still look wrong, inconsistent, or too heavy for the product.
Below are some of the most useful German QA checks, with examples.
1. Check number style first
One of the fastest things to review in German is number formatting.
German normally uses a comma for decimals, not a point. Duden also gives examples such as 7,4 kg when numbers appear with units.
So if your German UI shows this:
4.5 kg
It may still be understandable, but for a German audience, it often looks English-influenced.
A more local-looking version is:
4,5 kg
The same applies to prices, measurements, percentages, and analytics screens.
Examples:
English-looking: 2.5 % German-looking: 2,5 %
English-looking: 1.5 km German-looking: 1,5 km
English-looking: 4.5 hours German-looking: 4,5 Stunden
This is a useful QA point because the translation may be correct in meaning, but the formatting still makes the product feel foreign.
2. Review numbers with units as one package
In German, numbers and units should be checked together.
Duden notes that before abbreviations for measures, weights, and currencies, the number is written in digits, for example, 3 km, 7,4 kg, 6 EUR.
That gives you a very practical review rule: do not only check the number, and do not only check the word around it. Check the whole chunk.
Examples:
Correct style: 3 km Not ideal: drei km
Correct style: 7,4 kg Not ideal: 7.4 kg
Correct style: 6 EUR Possible full-word form in running text: zwei Euro
This matters in e-commerce, dashboards, packaging text, technical specifications, and onboarding flows.
3. Phone numbers need a QA check, too
Phone numbers are easy to ignore because the digits themselves usually remain unchanged.
But Duden’s rules on numbers and digits note that numbers are normally not grouped unless there is a reason to do so, and it gives the example Telefon: 0621 709614.
That does not mean every interface must show phone numbers exactly like that. In real products, grouping may still be used for readability or to follow a client style guide. But it does give you a useful QA point:
Do not let phone number formatting become random.
If one screen shows:
+49 30 12345678
and another shows:
+49-30-1234-5678
and another shows:
+493012345678
The issue is not translation accuracy. The issue is presentation consistency.
For German QA, the reviewer should ask:
Does the number follow the product’s chosen pattern? Is the same phone number grouped the same way everywhere? Does the number still fit cleanly in mobile UI?
That is a real QA check.
4. German nouns are capitalized
This is one of the most visible German writing rules, and Duden is very clear on it: nouns and substantivized forms are capitalized.
That means this is wrong:
bitte geben sie ihren namen ein
And this is better:
Bitte geben Sie Ihren Namen ein
Or:
Wrong-looking: ihre bestellung wurde versendet
Correct-looking: Ihre Bestellung wurde versendet
Even if the meaning is clear, missed capitals make the German text look careless immediately.
This is especially important in UI labels, emails, push messages, subtitles, and support content where the text is short and every detail stands out.
5. Formal and informal addresses must stay consistent
German gives reviewers another practical QA check: tone and capitalization interact.
Duden states that the formal pronoun Sie and the related possessive forms are always capitalized. It also notes that du/ihr are generally lowercase, though they can be capitalized in personal forms of address such as letters, emails, and messages.
That gives you a very practical review question:
Is the product using formal or informal German, and is it staying consistent?
Examples:
Formal:Bitte geben Sie Ihren Namen ein.
Informal:Bitte gib deinen Namen ein.
Bad mixed version:Bitte geben Sie deinen Namen ein.
Another example:
Formal:Haben Sie Ihre Einstellungen gespeichert?
Informal:Hast du deine Einstellungen gespeichert?
Mixed tone is one of the easiest ways to make German UI feel unpolished.
6. Look at quotation marks
German quotation marks are another visible clue. Duden’s standard rule uses „ … “ rather than English straight quotes.
So if a German interface or subtitle shows:
"Jetzt starten"
that may still be readable, but it can look imported or typographically unfinished.
A more standard German form is:
„Jetzt starten“
This matters in subtitles, editorial content, modal text, legal screens, and help articles.
It is a small detail, but it is exactly the sort of detail a QA reviewer should catch.
7. Check hyphen compounds in technical and product text
German relies heavily on compounds, and Duden gives useful guidance here too. It notes that compounds with digits take a hyphen, such as 8-Zylinder, 100-prozentig, and 17-jährig.
That is very useful in product copy and specifications.
Examples:
Wrong-looking: 6 Zylinder Motor Better: 6-Zylinder-Motor
Wrong-looking: 100 prozentig Better: 100-prozentig
Wrong-looking: 17 jährig Better: 17-jährig
If your product includes hardware, automotive, medical devices, technical guides, or ecommerce data, this becomes a very practical review area.
8. Commas are not optional decoration
Duden explicitly says that commas in German are mainly governed by grammar.
That matters because some reviewers treat comma issues as minor style preferences. In German, they often are not.
Examples:
Correct:Ich glaube, dass er morgen kommt.
Wrong:Ich glaube dass er morgen kommt.
Correct:Wenn du Zeit hast, ruf mich an.
Wrong:Wenn du Zeit hast ruf mich an.
For UI text, this may matter less in very short labels, but in messages, help text, settings explanations, and subtitles, comma errors can make the German feel obviously weak.
9. German often exposes UI fit problems
German is not just a language QA problem. It is also a layout test.
Microsoft specifically points out German as a language likely to expose localization problems because translated text tends to be longer. It also recommends avoiding fixed sizes and absolute positioning in localized interfaces.
This is one of the biggest practical QA lessons for German.
A string may be correct and still fail because it no longer fits the product.
Examples:
English button: Save German: Speichern
Still manageable.
But then:
English label: Manage notifications German: Benachrichtigungen verwalten
That may be accurate, but on a small mobile screen, it can become too wide, wrap badly, or feel visually heavy.
Another example:
English: Account settings German: Kontoeinstellungen
That one is fine.
But:
English: Change notification settings German: Benachrichtigungseinstellungen ändern
Accurate, but much longer and heavier.
This is where QA must go beyond language and ask:
Does it still fit? Does it wrap badly? Does it make the screen harder to scan?
10. Give linguists the right instruction
For German UI projects, it is often not enough to say “translate accurately.”
If the content is going onto small screens, buttons, subtitles, or navigation items, the linguist should be told that concise wording matters.
That changes the outcome.
For example, a linguist may produce a perfectly correct long version:
Benachrichtigungseinstellungen verwalten
But depending on the screen, a shorter approved version may work better:
Benachrichtigungen verwalten
Or instead of a heavy phrase like:
Zurück zur vorherigen Seite
a product might work better with:
Zurück
The right choice depends on context, but the main QA point is this: some German strings fail not because they are wrong, but because nobody briefed the linguist about space limits.
What reviewers should actually check
A practical German QA review should ask:
Does the number look German? Do numbers and units follow local style? Are phone numbers displayed consistently? Are nouns capitalized correctly? Is the product using Sie or du, and is it consistent? Are quotation marks and hyphen compounds handled properly? Does the text still fit on mobile and in small UI elements?
Those checks are much more useful than simply saying German has long words.
That is where German QA becomes practical.
if you speak this language and something here does not look quite right, please be kind and shine a light on it. We’re always happy to learn, and we genuinely appreciate corrections from native speakers. Just contact us and tell us what you noticed.
