MATI 2009 Conference: QA Tips and Tricks

2009 MATI Annual Conference

(CC) Creative Commons. Some Rights Reserved September 12, 2009


2009 MATI
Annual Conference
Dierk Seeburg
IcoText

2 (CC) Creative Commons. Some Rights Reserved September 12, 2009


Quality Assurance in the
Translation Industry:
Tips and Tricks
Dierk Seeburg
IcoText
(Presentation available at icotext.com in a few days)

(CC) Creative Commons. Some Rights Reserved September 12, 2009


Dierk Seeburg
IcoText



Marburg



Dierk Seeburg
IcoText



Phoenix



Dierk Seeburg
IcoText



Intro



Why talk about Quality?
• weak economy
• do more with less
• crowded global market
• stiff competition
• mostly lip service
• tools can help
• standards can help


•What: how well fnished product works
•Why: feature to distinguish self
•Who: T9n requester, provider
•Where: affects cost
•When: manage time limits
•How: use process, SMART project goals
•How much: measure expectations, goals



Quality

Q = f(R*C*T)



Quality

C R
Q
T


Resources =
People
Tools
Information



Preparation: General



Focus



Receptiveness



Reading



Writing



Intuition



Awareness



Familiarity



Understanding



Preparation: Specifc



Survey due dates for translation



Check for previous translations



Use all applicable reference
materials



Online and offine sources



Translation management



•coordinate graphics translations
•account for character expansion
•be aware of double-byte issues



Perform update checks



Translation



Use CAT tools
•increase consistency
•partially or even entirely reuse
previously translated content
•eliminate translating the same
phrases over again
•increase translation memory
•improve quality


Ask for instructions



Understanding the source
text
Before starting translation
•Do you understand the topic at hand, context,
imagery, puns, metaphors, similes, etc.?
•Does the source sentence make sense to you?
•Does a translation of the source sentence make sense
to you?
•Does a back-translation of the translation into the
source language make sense to you?



Read and check for errors,
inconsistencies, ambiguities in
source text



Maintain error log where/when
appropriate



Research the intended audience



Consult with co-translators of the
same and other languages



Internationalize before localizing



Especially in marketing: don't
translate - transcreate



Two-Phase Approach

•phase 1: rough translation
•phase 2: fne tuning



If it cannot be translated,
transpose



In case of disagreements between
team members, majority rules



In case of inconsistencies in the
source language, consult with the
source code maintainer to resolve
the issue.



Don't translate trade names



Graphics: check for size, style,
color



Links: do not include anything else
but the link text in the visible link



Spreadsheets



In HTML, XML and CAT Tool: Use
Unicode representation for special
characters, accents, etc., e.g.,
ó, but use accented
characters in Word fles, e-mails,
e.g., ó.



Check your spelling

•L'Académie française
•La Real Academia Española
•das Institut für deutsche Sprache/der Rat
für deutsche Rechtschreibung
•the Japanese Ministry of Cultural Affairs/the
Japanese Electric Dictionary
•etc.



Localization



Date



Time



Currency



Measurements



Alphabetical order



Geographic names



Watch for false cognates



Watch for false friends



Check for discriminatory/offensive
terminology



Keep topical context



Idioms & colloquialisms



Avoid Anglicisms



Use of linguistic patterns



Transpose regionalisms



Localize male and female
references



QA: Primary



Double-check own work.



Unsure: consult.



Must be publishable.



Abide by standards where
applicable.



Upload/Check into version
control, if possible



Use a checklist where appropriate
or necessary



Notify the person performing QA



QA: secondary



All translated materials must be
reviewed



Use a checklist where appropriate
or necessary for fles tested, etc.



•Primary QA review is performed
by the translator
•secondary QA review by the
translator assigned to QA review
•tertiary QA review is performed
by the QA department



In server environments, unless
otherwise arranged, all reviews
should by performed after all
needed fles have been uploaded
on a test server to replicate the
production environment.



Notify the secondary reviewer of
the location of the test notes



File-level
•File format, e.g., XML
•File name extension, e.g., .ppt vs. .pps
•Language extension, both within e.g., _de
•Correct server address and port, e.g.,
http://website.com:8080
•META data within fle, e.g., META description



Content-level
•Use stereoscopic reading, i.e., source and
target text side by side
•Correct understanding: check for contextual
consistency
•Language tags, e.g., language META tags
•Completeness
•No mistranslation, e.g. hotel vs. resort:
back-translate the target-language text



Content-level
•Addition/omission, e.g., (defnite or
indefnite) articles where they belong or not
•Correct terminology, e.g., RevPAR
•Correctness via backtranslation
•Rendering, e.g., as part of a graphic, e-mail,
etc.



Style
•Register: who is the audience, e.g., non-
technical vs. technical or the German address
Du (casual) vs. Sie (formal)
•Freedom of translation, i.e., do not translate
too literally, but preserve the actual meaning
of the original, e.g.,for "we're the best hotel
value anywhere"
•Language vs. Country: What is acceptable in
one country may be unacceptable or even
insulting in another



Style
•Cohesion, i.e., how clauses ft together, and
coherence, i.e., how underlying concepts ft
together
•References: contextual, implicit, explicit
•Consistency, e.g., use resort once, use
resort always
•Unambiguity
•Style, e.g., “beautifully landscaped garden”
vs. “nice garden”



Grammar-level
•Grammar, e.g., there vs. their
•Syntax, e.g., the hotel is decorated
beautifully vs. the beautiful hotel is decorated
•Punctuation eg forgetting commas or
periods
•Speling



Notifcation of translator with
specifc comments and
suggestions
•what: indicate the passage in question
•why: indicate the reason for the suggestion,
if needed
•how: indicate how the translation may be
improved
•good: praise your colleague(s) for good
translations!



Final edit



a) Incorporate comments and suggestions from
reviewer.
b) Resolve disputed issues.
c) Perform a fnal review to ensure that all edits are
complete the fnal translation sounds native, not
translated
d) Notify reviewer of fnal edits only after all
uploads/check-ins are complete.
e) Bottom line: The best translation is one which no
one knows it is.



Notifcation of person
coordinating translation
effort



Strive to keep all deadlines



If you remember

one thing from today:

Quality is Job #1



Thank you



Q&A


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