Mobile Application Localization to Belarusian Language
Belarusian language — closely related to Russian, but this doesn't mean sufficient to "fix a few words". Grammar, plural forms and writing specifics differ. At same time, iOS and Android have full support for be locale, and standard localization mechanisms work without workarounds.
Plural Forms in Belarusian
Belarusian language, like Russian, uses CLDR-rules with several plural forms. In Android <plurals> with quantity="one" (1, 21, 31…), quantity="few" (2–4, 22–24…), quantity="many" (5–20, 25–30…) covers correct forms. On iOS — .stringsdict with analogous keys.
Specificity: in Belarusian numerals agree differently than in Russian. "Адно апавяшчэнне" (1), "два апавяшчэнні" (2–4), "пяць апавяшчэнняў" (5+). Don't translate plural strings literally from Russian without native speaker check.
Encoding and Fonts
Belarusian alphabet contains several letters absent in Russian: Ў (short u) and І (i). Both present in Unicode and display correctly in system fonts on iOS (San Francisco) and Android (Roboto). Problems arise only with non-standard fonts — check Belarusian character presence in font before connecting.
Locale identifier: be_BY. DateFormatter with Locale(identifier: "be_BY") gives dates in Belarusian format: "26 сакавіка 2026 г.".
String Format and Translation Specifics
Standard way: export strings through xcloc (Xcode) or Android Localization Tool → translation → native speaker verification → import. Belarusian machine translation (Google Translate, DeepL) for UI strings gives acceptable quality on simple phrases, but errors on verb forms and greetings. Final native speaker check mandatory.
Separately: if application already localized to Russian, don't use Russian localization as fallback for Belarusian. System correctly shows en fallback when be resources absent — predictable. Russian fallback creates confusion for users who consciously chose Belarusian.
Testing
Test on device with system language беларуская. On iOS: Settings → General → Language & Region → iPhone Language → Беларуская. On Android similarly through Language settings.
Check: display of specific characters (Ў, І), plural forms correctness, date and number formats, absence of long word truncation in UI. Belarusian words by length similar to Russian, so serious layout problems usually absent.
Timeframe: two to three working days for application with 200–500 strings.