Every professional translator knows that in order to obtain a high-quality translation they must not skip the review stage. But how can you be certain the translation has no errors if after several hours of work even the smallest mistake can go unnoticed? Normally the first advice that comes in hand is to have someone else review your work, but unfortunately, not all projects have the budget or the time necessary for this.

So, how can you assure a top-notch, error-free translation? In this post we will talk about the Quality Assurance (QA) programs to check translations that help translators and linguists eliminate the most difficult errors to detect.

QA programs are tools that facilitate the review of translated texts. They verify that translations are coherent and also correct a large number of errors that go unnoticed when reviewing. These translation tools analyze a series of elements that can lead to errors, for example they include checks for many items like empty/forgotten/inconsistent translation, length comparison, and verification, double spaces, repeated words, units, numbers, capitalization, punctuation, brackets, quotation marks, terminology, trademarks, tags and spellings, keywords, etc.

As you can see, the list is endless and serves as a good argument on the usefulness and importance of these tools in the everyday work life of a translator. For example, when it comes to keywords, those important words that indicate the content of a document, the QA programs analyze them and let you know if the same keyword has been translated in different ways; this can be especially useful in lengthy documents where the maintenance of a consistency line can be difficult.

Among the most useful QA programs tools, two stand out for their functions, affordable price, and user-friendly interface.

QA Distiller: one of the most complete tools in the market, it detects the errors mentioned above, while also allowing users to create dictionaries with specific glossaries for each project. You can download the trial version or obtain a permanent license. The price and features of the program vary depending on the package.

XBench provides simple and powerful Quality Assurance and Terminology Management for translators. The way of use is very similar to QA Distiller. The price varies and the trial period offered covers a 30 day period.

The QA programs are tools that help to deliver top-quality translations; however, they can never replace a traditional review. Use these programs immediately after the translation and use its feature to your project’s advantage.