High-quality translation requires in-depth domain knowledge, meticulous attention, and a series of well-defined steps. In this article, I’ll focus on the last stage of a standard translation project: automated Quality Assurance (QA).
QA ensures that hard-to-spot and easy-to-miss errors are eliminated. Common issues include source and target inconsistencies, capitalization errors, incorrect spacing around punctuation marks, numerical mistakes, missing or extra tags, incorrect quotation marks, terminology mistakes, measurement unit discrepancies, etc.
Below are the steps I use when doing QA.
- Built-in CAT tool QA:
Most computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools (e.g., Trados Studio or memoQ) offer built-in QA functionality. Enable the relevant options in the CAT tool menus and run QA.
- Export to Word and use Word’s proofing features:
If your CAT tool allows it, export the translation to Microsoft Word. Press F7 to check for additional mistakes that the CAT tool may have missed. Ensure that Word’s proofing options (grammar, repeated words, uppercase words, etc.) are activated.
- Standalone QA tools:
Use standalone QA tools for comprehensive checks. Xbench, Verifika, and QA Distiller are some of the oldest and most popular ones.
QA Distiller is completely free, Xbench has a free limited-functionality version, and Verifika (my personal favorite) has a fully functional free web version, provides language-dependent checks, and covers numerous mistake categories. Take the time to configure Verifika with the options you need—it’s worth the effort.
- Double-check and run QA again:
Correct any mistakes the tool found and run another round of QA to catch any overlooked errors or newly introduced mistakes.
- Use multiple QA tools:
If you’re doing a test translation or working on a particularly important project, consider running QA using multiple tools. It’s better to spend time reviewing false positives than to miss an embarrassing error.
- Impress the client:
Go the extra mile by exporting a final QA report containing only false positives. Demonstrating your commitment to quality will leave a positive impression.
Let no mistakes slip through into your translations!
This is the third and final post in a series of posts on translation quality. The first post can be found here, and the second here.
Mikhail Yashchuk is an industry veteran. In 2002, he received his university degree in English, and six years later he founded a boutique agency where he gained experience in linguist recruitment, project management, translation, editing, and quality assurance. He has recently been admitted as a sworn translator to the Belarusian Notary Chamber.
In 2018, Mikhail joined the American Translators Association and is now working as an English-to-Russian translator, actively sharing knowledge with younger colleagues. He is the moderator for the SLD LinkedIn group. He may be contacted at mikhail@lexicon.biz.
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