Is there a way to view how screens look in another language during design time using Expression Blend?

Question

I have a WPF application for which I have extracted all the strings in the WPF controls into an .resx file. I also have .resx files for each language supported (.es.resx, .ja.resx, etc.).

Is there an easy/straightforward way to view what the output will look like in the other languages during design time. It would save quite a bit of time to not have to run the application, see which controls needed adjustment, make notes, stop the application, make the changes and repeat.

I would much rather make the changes directly during design time using Blend.

Any ideas?

Answer 1

I went with what was suggested in one of the comments by RQDQ.

1. Rename foo.resx to foo.copy.resx (using foo as a generic name placeholder)
2. Make a copy of the language you wish to test and rename it to foo.resx : so, for example, copy foo.fr.resx to foo.fr.copy.resx and then rename to foo.resx to test out how the French translation will look during design time.
3. Clean and Rebuild the entire Expression Blend solution.
4. The strings that have been localized will now appear in the controls in the language you are testing; in this example French.

You will now be able to make changes during design time using the translated strings. Just make sure you reverse the process when you finish making your changes or your default language will end up being the language you are testing and making adjustments with.

I am not crazy about this solution but it works. I also hesitate to mark this as the answer as I answered my own question, but I believe it is the correct answer. Any suggestions on this?