A country that needs quality control...

I deeply appreciate and share the concern and criticism exhibited in the editorial of The Times (March 26). I have been hammering on these concerns over and over again but, as I usually tell my students at the university and as my criminal law professor, President Guido de Marco used to tell us, repetita iuvant. Repeating the same concept over and over again helps in creating awareness.

Allow me to make one thing clear; mistakes are inevitable! However, the degree and magnitude of the mistakes can and should be curtailed. If for these "silly mistakes" Malta (and I mean all of us, including the private sector) loses out on this opportunity (which is not just a patriotic strive but a possibility of direct investment) some people will have to pay! History will judge those who would have ruined this opportunity.

Malta needs a constant quality control system in every sector. However, some sectors need more quality control than others. One of these is the translation sector. A proper translation system should incorporate a constant quality control process (CQCP). This entails the monitoring of quality and accuracy throughout every stage of a translation project. Much of the material that is translated is very content critical, for example, mechanical engineering manuals. Strict quality control processes help protect clients and enables them to successfully achieve their objectives, be they business, scientific or educational.

The first step in quality assurance is careful translator selection. Translators should always be screened not only for language ability but also for technical knowledge. Applicants should take standardised tests in their technical area (medical, pharmaceutical, chemical, electrical, mechanical) that are evaluated by an experienced chief editor. Only a small percentage of applicants will eventually meet quality standards.

Following translation, each document must be edited by a second translator (called reviser) to ensure technical accuracy and address issues of language nuance. Again, the work is assigned to a specialist according to subject matter. A formal mechanism is in place for editors to provide feedback to translators on a job-by-job basis after each job is completed.

These document specialists then implement revisions, complete formatting and insert recreated graphics. These core staff members should undergo at least three months of training in software and linguistic techniques. After each document specialist has acquired the level of competence expected of all production staff, s/he is normally assigned a speciality function or software in which they become proficient.

Then, a proof-reader provides a third quality check. This review confirms that editing changes and formatting were properly implemented and that there are no omissions or typographical errors.

Projects are analysed prior to the commencement of the work. Some projects are straightforward by nature or because they are part of ongoing work. For all other projects, especially those of a complex nature, careful analysis prior to translation is a cost effective method of enhancing the success of a project.

Each project is assigned a tracking number. For clients that may have multiple projects in the translation process at one time, this allows everyone involved to immediately know which job is being referenced.

Work orders are generated for each project, detailing all of the particulars associated with that job. This is available in both electronic and hard copy format. As jobs are logged into a database, many details, such as language pair, subject matter, estimated word count, file format of source and target deliverables, account manager and all those assigned to every stage of the job are entered into the system. This is a permanent record so that within seconds a client may ask for any detail of a job, whether it is in progress or if it was completed two years earlier.

Special client instructions are automatically generated on the work order. Some clients have standing instructions for format, delivery, or other job specifications. These may be completely customised, even to the degree of different standing instructions from requesters in different departments at the same company. We are able to easily accommodate special needs without clients having to ask each time they place an order.

The translation is assigned to a qualified, native speaker based on language and technical subject matter. This seems obvious but effective translation means addressing the audience appropriately depending upon surroundings, educational level and purpose of the translation. For example, terminology and language nuance are quite different for publicly posted signage than electrical equipment technical specifications.

The translation is edited by a second native speaker with expertise in the subject area. This is not just to secure accuracy but also where there are multiple ways to correctly express translated content it provides an opportunity to discuss alternatives, improving the overall quality of the translation.

Document specialists implement revisions, create or correct format and recreate graphics as needed. In formatting a document or recreating graphics, content is now viewed from a vantage point different from that of an author or translator. (This occasionally results in a project returned to a client that has format errors that were present in the original removed!)

Proof readers conduct a post format review. Source and target files are compared side-by-side assessing completeness as well as conducting a review of formatting and graphics recreation.

A final review by production checks each project against its work order for a checklist of items prior to delivery. It is impossible to overstate the importance of a fresh set of eyes at this stage of the project. Each person to this point has had a specific task to perform upon the file or document. The sole task now is to review the client's project one final time before delivery using a checklist based on years of translation experience.

With translation memory (TM) tools, blocks of text that have been previously translated can be saved and reused to speed up turnaround and enhance consistency. But this TM must be used with prudence or else we end up with an igsma tal-pariri sort of situation.

TM tools are also helpful in website localisation. They allow translators to focus on content localisation and minimise their involvement in site structure analysis. Text can be extracted from code for translation and then recombined automatically, which reduces the potential for introducing code errors and facilitates a more efficient work cycle.

One final note for translators and revisers. They should not expect to be paid a high professional fee as from day one. This is the big-headed attitude some people have. They want to be paid a professional fee but they are not trained (or still learning) and have no experience. Moreover, those translators who do not deliver on time or are not up to standard (all things being equal) should not expect to be paid the full fee if at all. Companies cannot afford to pay people twice for the same job!

Dr Xuereb is the chairman of Euris Consult Ltd, a local agency providing translation services, legal drafting and European affairs consultancy.

axuereb@eurisconsult.com

www.eurisconsult.com