Quality Assurance Procedures
Trans-Orientals believes that quality assurance (QA) should apply to all the parts of the supply chain, from the
vendors’ selection to the delivery of the project.
The linguists’ selection phase should comply with certain qualification criteria that are applied to all vendors
who works in any project handled by Trans-Orientals.
In addition, the linguistic tasks should go through QA certain steps to ensure the best quality possible is
delivered.
This document explains the objectives of the overall QA system, the linguistic quality model and the QA
tools
The Quality Assurance System Objectives:
Trans-Orientals’ QA system aims to meet the following objectives:
A. Improve the quality of the translated and/or localized material.
B. Provide open and consistent communication with the client.
C. Prevent translation and localization issues in the future.
Vendors/In-house Staff Selection Criteria:
Trans-Orientals’ QA system starts from the vendor’s section phase. Below are the qualifications we seek when
recruiting in-house staff as well as outside vendors:
A. Native Speaker of the target language.
B. Received a formal education in language or translation studies.
C. Has a minimum of 5 years of experience with translation work.
D. Familiar with Computer-Assisted-Translation (CAT) tools.
E. Pass a translation test to measure translation quality.
F. Has the required soft skills to work with teams from different backgrounds.
The linguistic Quality Model at Trans-Orientals:
Trans-Orientals believes that having one person do the translation or localization linguist tasks is not a guarantee
of providing enough quality. So, we add at least 4 linguistic touchpoints for QA during the whole process
of completing translation and localization projects.
Here is a brief about how every step looks:
3.1 Project Preparation Phase:
This phase is completed by the assigned project manager (PM). During this phase, the PM ensures the
below:
A. The source files are in a proper format for the linguistic team.
B. The project reference files sent to the linguistic team, if any.
C. The right translation memory (TM) is prepared, if any
D. The clients’ instructions are communicated with the linguistic team.
E. The project phases deadlines are clear to all stakeholders involved in the project.
3.2 Translation Phase:
This phase is completed by a qualified translator. During this phase, the translator completes the below
tasks:
A. Review the project instructions, reference material and source text/material.
B. Translate the text into the target language.
C. Adhere to the instructions of the project.
D. Adhere to the glossary and/or term base of the project.
E. Follow the spelling rules of the target language.
F. Follow the grammar rules of the target language.
G. Raise queries in case of any issues or unclear sentences or terms in the source.
3.3 Editing Phase:
This phase is completed by a qualified editor. During this phase, the editor completes the below tasks:
A. Compare the source text/material to the target text/material.
B. Correct any linguistics mistakes in the translated/localized material.
C. Ensure the translator followed the project instructions.
D. Ensure that the deliverables format is correct.
E. Ensure that the spelling rules of the target language are followed.
F. Ensure that the grammar rules of the target language are followed.
G. Prepare a report of the translator mistakes.
H. Assign a quality score for the translation
I. Recommend actions to improve the translation phase.
3.4 The PM QA Check Phase:
This phase is completed by the assigned PM of the project. During this phase, the PM completes the below
tasks:
A. Review the layout of the target files.
B. Ensure the project is delivered according to the deadline.
C. Review the instructions of the project were followed.
D. Ensure that the deliverables format is correct.
- Quality Assurance Tools:
To improve the quality of the translated texts, Trans-Orientals’ team uses software and tools developed specifically for
the QA of translation and localization projects. These tools include:
A. Integrated QA features of CAT tools, such as Trados and Memsource.
B. ApSIC’s XBench.
C. Microsoft Word for spelling and grammar checks