By checking language use in the preexisting software, a translator can make an accurate translation of any term needed. An additional benefit of this process is that the translator can also look back to the meaning of a term in the source text in the event its meaning is not entirely clear (another issue that may arise on occasion). When considering this method, you should take several factors into consideration:
Is your software available for free? If not, be ready to provide a key to give the translator free access. Trial periods are great, but the translator cannot request them repeatedly.
Is your software supported by most devices? For example, this is not the ideal approach when you're dealing with software for Apple devices, which have approximately a 20% market share in Russia. If your translation vendor is a Language Service Provider (LSP), it will be able to find a copy of your software. Remember, an individual translator's options here are quite limited, so if you want to involve a range of devices in the translation process, consider a larger translation partner.
Does the surrounding text clearly indicate where all UI elements are located? Various text elements of a site may refer to another specific element, and the name of that element may be translated differently in different places, especially if more than one person is involved in the translation.
Does your software require installation? If the software requires installation, it will be almost impossible for a translator to find all the term matches, as reinstallation or shifting between interface language options can be impractical and time-consuming. The translator may give up on checking both versions of UI and simply try to guess which translated version is the correct one. Web apps are easier –versions for various language can simply be opened in different web browser instances.
How many UI terms do you have? There is a point at which checking a large number of steps in the software becomes a separate service, a form of linguistic testing. Not everyone will provide this additional service for free.
Do you plan to conduct a quality control (QC) check? If yes, the approach in question will be highly inconvenient for your QC specialists, as they will pay attention only to the UI terms. The only thing to do is to keep shifting between interface languages. Remember that the checkers may not be native speakers of the target language. Where it is difficult to recognize a word in a foreign language (e.g., where hieroglyphs are used), the only solution is to copy the correct translation, perform a search, and see whether the existing translation matches. Copying the translation from the software is not an option, which means that the check can still be inaccurate.