Below are 10 important factors that contribute significantly to translation quality:
1. Choose the right translation agency
Make sure your translation agency holds both ISO 17100 certification for handling translation projects and ISO 9001 certification for quality management. Another indicator of a high-quality provider is transparency regarding the services offered.
Once you have found the right agency, their consultants or project managers will carry out the following steps.
2. Clarification of requirements
Together you define the requirements for the translation. If this is your first time working with a translation agency, consider a test translation to select the right agency beforehand and then clarify all criteria in detail. Important factors include, for example:
- Industry/sector
- Target audience and market
- Terminology
- Special instructions (e.g., length restrictions for software or SEO)
3. Conducing a feasibility analysis
You need to analyze to what extent all the requirements can be met.
- Source text: First of all, the source text should, at best, be written as clearly as possible to avoid misunderstandings.
- File format: The file format also plays a role, as it is more cost-efficient to work with open file formats, such as Word or PowerPoint. Also check whether the preparation or segmentation of a file is suitable for the translation process.
- Terminology: Clarify whether there is fixed terminology that the translators must adhere to and whether you can provide reference material.
- Specifications: Define text and client-specific particularities. These include, for example, a specific register or the handling of proper names and product names.
- Delivery date: Furthermore, discuss all expectations regarding the delivery date in advance. To provide the best possible translation quality, allow sufficient time.
You can find a more detailed insight into the handling of translation projects in our article: A day in the life of a translation project manager
4. Use of translation software
So-called CAT tools ensure automated processes and support translators in working consistently, adhering to terminology specifications, and thus ensuring high translation quality.
In addition, CAT tools not only help during translation but also enable quick and efficient checking of crucial factors afterward, such as terminology, consistency, punctuation, and formatting, as required by the four-eyes principle.
5. Selecting an appropriate translation team and briefing
Translators possess the necessary qualifications and already have experience in the same or a similar subject area. This enables them to convey the content in the best possible way. They should also have knowledge of the software and tools used in the translation process. If translators lack this knowledge, train them.
Once the right team has been found, brief the agency and translators on all your requirements. If there are specific stylistic guidelines, provide the team with a style guide. If you regularly commission translations, assign dedicated core teams that, after some time working together, are optimally attuned to your needs and possess extensive client-specific knowledge.
6. Coordinating the translation project
The agency has to coordinate the translation project efficiently and conscientiously. Project management maintains regular contact with the translation team on the one hand and with you on the other to clarify any questions and ambiguities quickly. Deadlines for the translators are defined and coordinated. The desired translation has to be produced according to the four-eyes principle.
7. In-country review or subject matter expert review
Since no one is better suited than your company’s own experts to verify the content-related, terminological, and technical correctness of a translation, involve them in the translation process as well. You can have the finished translation reviewed first by experts in the respective branch office of the target-language country. Carry out the so-called subject matter expert review either yourself or have the translation agency perform it as an additional service. In the latter case, make the translation available to the experts in the target country so they can incorporate their corrections. Subsequently, the translators check the corrections for linguistic accuracy and finally incorporate them into the final translation.
8. Translation quality evaluation
Provide feedback to the translation team. Depending on the text type, use a so-called content profile, in which relevant criteria for evaluation are defined in advance, to address client-specific factors that are decisive for evaluating the translation. Set a certain threshold in this process by which quality can be quantified. If quality is insufficient, have the agency take various measures to improve future translation results.
9. Quality assurance checks and spot checks
The project management team carries out quality assurance checks in accordance with the six-eyes principle. These checks predominantly use software to review the translation. Use various tools to ensure the following aspects:
- Adherence to specified terminology
- Consistency
- Correct punctuation
- Correct number formats
- Correct placement of tags
- Incorporation of answers to queries
- Adherence to special customer-specific instructions
You can also use so-called spot checks as a tool to verify translation quality. Check individual passages of the translation against all relevant specifications to get an impression of the quality of the entire text.
10. Client satisfaction survey
Finally, submit your feedback annually as part of a client satisfaction survey. This ensures that the defined processes lead to the desired result. The survey also identifies opportunities for improvement so you can subsequently take measures to lead to higher satisfaction.
