Sami Language Support

NHF has a recognised connection to Sami communities and has raised Sami language support as a future requirement. For peer mentors and contacts in Sami-speaking areas, access to the app in their native language is both a practical usability improvement and a statement of inclusion that aligns with NHF's organisational values. While this is not a blocker for MVP, shipping without any localisation architecture would make adding Sami support later significantly more expensive. Early architectural investment in i18n therefore reduces long-term cost and signals commitment to linguistic minority users, which supports NHF's advocacy positioning.

Flutter's built-in internationalisation framework (flutter_localizations and the intl package with ARB files) is the implementation vehicle. All user-visible strings must be externalised into ARB files before this feature can be completed, making string externalisation a prerequisite. The Sami localisation bundle is then added as an additional locale alongside Norwegian Bokmål. Right-to-left layout is not required for Northern Sami. Translation work requires a qualified Northern Sami translator; the engineering effort is limited to infrastructure and integration. The locale switcher in app settings exposes the new locale only when it is fully translated, preventing partial-translation states from shipping to production.