Process

Project analysis is the first thing we do when we receive a translation request. A full understanding of clients’ needs and the specifics of the documentation is the foundation of success.

• Effective communication:

A project manager is appointed to coordinate linguists and ensure effective communications with clients.

• Project evaluation:

The most efficient translation tool is selected, word count calculated, difficulty level evaluated and reference materials researched.

• Project scheduling:

A timetable is worked out that covers the whole process of translation: deadline for first drafts, editing/proofreading and review and we adhere to the timetable rigidly unless significant changes are required, such as requests for early delivery.

• Pre-treatment:

Before moving to the next step, edits on formats and content of certain documents may be needed; for consistent translation jobs, a well-maintained translation memory may be used. Pre-treatment of documents not only allows linguists to focus on translation quality, but also minimizes costs and improves consistency.

The production process refers to the course of creating a proper translation for intended readers. Our in-house linguists are responsible for producing source-to-target translations. Before initiating the production process, a linguist will be appointed as coordinator of the project, who will be responsible for communication with the clients for translation requirements and guarantee of a punctual delivery. The production process consists of the following three stages:

• Translating:

A translation is created by native speakers of the target language, who ensure that the translated texts accurately and unambiguously convey the original meaning, and are in accordance with recognized rules and recommendations. We also make sure to retain the styles of the source and check thoroughly for spelling or typo errors.

• Editing/proofreading:

On the basis of MTS Quality Metrics, experienced native speakers of target languages who have profound expertise in the specific technical field thoroughly edit and proofread the translated texts.

• Reviewing/approving:

The proofread texts are given a final review to check for consistency, accuracy, design integrity, and any possible cultural misunderstandings or negative cultural impact. The final text that conveys the exact meaning of the source text, both in formatting and content is then approved.

Our dedicated Quality Management Department is responsible for providing high standard services, conducting regular quality inspection, holding regular training sessions to our linguists and other issues related to quality assurance.

• Project assessment:

Review every detail of a project after documents have been delivered to clients, including whether the timetable is kept, whether clients’ expectations are met, whether quality standards are complied and whether there is any experience and lessons to learn from.

• Sampling inspection:

Randomly inspect translated texts on a regular basis before delivery and provide improvement suggestions to linguists.

• Handling feedbacks:

Deal with all customer feedbacks and complaints by further reviewing the translated texts, making necessary changes and keeping records for future reference.

Quality monitoring: Act as a bridge of information exchange between clients and our linguists by proactively asking for clients’ comments on translation and services we provide and giving advice to our linguists on how to ensure a high quality translation.

In order to ensure consistent high quality translations, we create and maintain translation memories for every project, every client and also in various fields. We sort out specialty glossaries and make them available to all of our linguists.

We attach great importance to computer-aided translation tools such as Trados as they help us save time, reduce costs for clients and ensures our capacity in delivering a reliable and consistent job. Our Technology Dept. is dedicated to and has succeeded in developing, updating and upgrading powerful translation and QA toolkits, enabling us do more with less.

Our Quality Metrics are designed by integrating the standard practice of the industry, advanced calculation methodology and our decade-old experience. It provides a method for classifying and weighing translation errors and thus calculates a score for translation quality.

With these quality metrics, we are able to assess translation quality in terms of the following parameters:

• Semantic

The target text should accurately and unambiguously convey the right meaning of the source text, with no interpretation errors.

• Terminology

Accurate terms should be used in specialized fields, such as science and technology, law, finance, etc.

• Grammar and Syntactic

All elements in a sentence, such as words and phrases, should be organized according to grammatical and syntactic requirements of the target languages.

• Style

The target text should retain the styles of the source, such as elegant, formal and colloquial. Never use outdated or culturally inappropriate expressions or wording.

• Omission and Addition

This refers to the case when meaning not explicitly expressed in the source is added or segments that are semantically important are deleted in the target.

• Structure and Agreement

A Structural Error occurs when an otherwise correct target word or term is expressed in an incorrect morphological form. An Agreement Error occurs when two or more target words disagree in any form of inflection.

• Spelling and Typos

The target text should contain no spelling or typo errors.

• Punctuation, Capitalization, Spacing and formatting

The target text should use punctuation marks correctly in accordance with recognized rules and recommendations of the target language.

• Miscellaneous error

Errors related to the target language that are not clearly attributable to one of the above categories.

Once error categories are assigned, different weights and severity levels are assigned to each error occurred and a final quality score is obtained, offering us an insight into translation quality of a specific job.