Forms
FormsVarious forms can be used during a translation project and can be reused during the QA phase. Other forms are specific to the QA process.
Checklists
ChecklistsThese list all of the items to be checked for a certain type of task. They differ according to the type and level of QA. For instance, checklists may be drawn up for QAing illustrations or Flash animations in detail, others for QAing layout and specific linguistic aspects of target texts, and others for extended linguistic QA for specific customers and subject areas.
Some checklists can be very general in scope, and applicable to nearly all projects and project components. Others may be developed for a specific subject area or project component. It is also possible to use the same general checklists for all projects, adapting them as needed on a project-by-project basis by simply appending new items at the end.
The checklists may be provided by the customer, but in some cases they may need to be drawn up by the translation team itself. From time to time the customer may even require that the completed checklists be sent together with the target translation. Indeed, marking off each point as proof that it has been checked could reassure the customer as to the quality of the work.
Here is an example of a General checklist adapted for a specific project:
| General Checklist | Checked | NA |
|---|---|---|
| Product-specific glossary used | ||
| Style is homogenous and follows customer's guidelines | ||
| Terminology is consistent | ||
| Phone numbers, URLs, Web sites, on-line services and all hyperlinks are checked and tested if needed | ||
| Formatting is consistent with the customer’s standard guidelines | ||
| Legal information (e.g. copyright page) are correct according to customers' instructions | ||
| All art and call-outs are translated and consistent with the text | ||
| Headers and footers are translated correctly and consistently | ||
| Time, date, currency, number format, and measurement units are correct according to specific country standards or customer’s guidelines | ||
| All text is translated (except where specifically indicated to the contrary) | ||
| Grammar, syntax, and punctuation correspond to target language standards | ||
| Spell check done | ||
| Files saved in the right format using the right name | ||
| Specific Checklist for the project | Checked | NA |
| Product names are not translated | ||
| Checking of OS options performed against a MAC platform | ||
| ... |
Evaluation forms
Evaluation formsQA items can be rated for an objective indication of whether the work is acceptable or not.
The evaluation form templates may or may not be provided by the customer, who may also ask for the completed forms at the end of the project to ensure that evaluations were performed and that the final quality conforms to required standards. Some customer may even perform the QA evaluation themselves.
The forms may be quite general, with simple ratings, or on the contrary, very detailed, indicating all of the issues to be resolved, and even the proposed corrections to be implemented before final delivery.
Here is an example of a General Evaluation form:
| LINGUISTIC QA FORM | |
| Omissions | /5 |
| Language understanding | /5 |
| Subject understanding | /5 |
| Terminology | /5 |
| Grammar | /5 |
| Style & Word choice | /5 |
| Spelling & Typos | /5 |
| Presentation | /5 |
| Respect of client's rules (style guide, glossary, guidelines) | /5 |
| Global evaluation | /5 |