Post-translation tasks

4.1. Quality Assurance

Running a  Quality Assurance (QA) check is an essential element of modern translation technology, and a major milestone in the quality assurance of translations.

It enables the filtering of hardly noticeable yet important faults in the translation.

QA can be run only in a bilingual environment. In this technology the software compares the source and the target language segments based on a given algorithm, and it seeks expressions that are tangible from an IT viewpoint, such as:

– numbers, dates and units of measurement;

– consistency (at the level of segments and terminology);

– the matching of tags;

– omitted translation (if the source and the target are identical, e.g. a segment that contains only a brand name);

– punctuation marks.

Machine QA can never substitute, it can only complement proofreading since it is incapable of checking actual meaning, style, grammar and translation methodology.

4.2. Checking the format

In an ideal situation, it is not required to check the format if the translation was prepared thoroughly and a reliable CAT tool was used. Nevertheless, it is still worth

doing a detailed check of the source and the final target documents’ formatting prior to delivery to the client.

– If the documents had to be divided up for some reason this is the time to reassemble them;

– The continuity of the automatic numbering must be checked;

– The images removed temporarily to reduce file size should now be reinserted;

– If we translated the captions to the images, their format must be unified based on the received instructions;

– It must be checked whether all the footnotes are in place;

– It must be checked whether there is any hidden text that was accidentally not translated.

4.3. The typesetting of publications

As written in the Introduction this work phase connects the graphical DTP with the translator DTP tasks, because this is when the original layout must be updated to the new languages and to the changed length of the translated (multilingual) publication. This process is called typesetting.

If a translation is not prepared in a CAT tool, but the translator received it copied into a separate file, then the typesetter must manually copy all the different text parts into the given file. In many cases, this is how it is still done today. Besides being time consuming, there is a big margin for error, because it is easy for the technician – who does not understand the target language – to fail to notice that a space, an accent or a word is left out.

A translation prepared in a CAT tool makes the typesetter’s job easier since the format of the translated document exported from the CAT tool – after the necessary conversions – is identical with that of the original desktop publishing software format, but in the other language. Thus, there is no need for copying the texts, only the length of the texts must be checked, the adjustments and the professional correction of the entire file format must be carried out.

Clients rarely request translators to perform typesetting functions, but it can often happen that the PDF file of the typeset translation is sent back for a pdf check. This time it can be spotted if there is a space character missing between two words, an accent or a separation is incorrect, or if the punctuation marks are not in the right place. By inserting comments to the PDF version the typesetter can be informed about the corrections to be done.

4.4. Checking the functionality

In the monolingual target document the following elements shall be checked for functionality depending on the file format:

– whether the fields and hyperlinks are functional and direct to the right place;

– the generated table of contents and index have the same content and format as in the source file;

– the markup languages appear in the browser as they did for the source file.

4.5. The management of text length

The issue of increased or decreased text length has already been referred to. The following options are available to adjust the formatting to an increased length of text:

– enlarge the space designated for the text (by adding pages or text boxes);

– reduce font size;

– reduce row spacing;

– change the page settings;

– reduce font spacing.

4.6. File format for delivery

The translation must be submitted in the file format agreed upon at the launch of the project. This final format can be open (editable) and/or closed, such as Postscript or PDF. PostScript and PDF files are closed, independent documents that cannot be edited or only to a limited extent. They constitute the final electronic version of the publication, and make it possible to have the document approved in an electronic form.

In translation agencies usually it is the project manager who generates the file format to be delivered to the client. It is the DTP technician’s task to generate a given format from a large number of files or print a closed document from a desktop publishing software.

In similar situations individual translators should inform themselves about the technical parameters and seek professional help, if necessary.

4.7. Implementing feedback in the document

If the translation is submitted in a closed format for approval, it can happen that the client or the language expert of the client annotates the file which is sent back to the translator or translation agency. In this case, the translator or the translation agency must implement the requested modifications in an editable format.