2 Major Faults You Can Fix by Moving your QA process Upstream – and 1 Simple Process to Make it Happen

Have you ever come across a trading platform that seemed to have it all together, but something just felt off? Maybe there were no glaring linguistic errors, but the terminology related to financial markets was misused. It was like they had all the right words but didn’t quite understand how to use them properly. This would make anyone question their credibility and wonder if they really knew what they were doing. Imagine being a customer on such a platform, trying to navigate your investments while doubting the company’s expertise!

It’s moments like this that remind all of us in localization why we need LQA – and why the quality of your localized content should never be an afterthought. In fact, at Chillistore, as an LQA provider and quality consultant in the localization industry, building systems to catch and prevent errors is an issue we’ve spent years working on.

A Better Start to Finish With

Ideally, the best way to fix a mistake is to never make it in the first place- to move your quality control process so close to the point of error that the mistakes are caught before they can spread.

As seen in the example above, your linguistic content plays a vital role in shaping your product’s overall appeal and functionality and when this content is poorly localized, it can significantly impact your product’s ability to attract its target audience or, in some cases, even render it non-functional. A well-localized product not only ensures seamless communication but also fosters a sense of trust and familiarity among your users.

So here are two especially challenging places where mistakes are made in the standard translation process – and our own fix that reinvents LQA to get to the source of the problem and stop these mistakes before they happen.

1. Changing from “What Did They Mean?” to “What Do You Mean?”

Unfortunately, the reality of translation is that it tends to be a quantity vs. a quality-based business. Budgets are tight, talent is often in short supply, and translators are pushed to meet the deadline first – often assured the quality step will catch any errors later. In addition, the translation team may not be familiar with your particular industry terms, business practices, or the current formal vs. informal communication norms within a given market or linked to your brand and tone of voice.

All of these challenges leave open the possibility of an error making its way through the process and ending up front and center with a customer.

Catching Translation Errors Before They Start

Adding an LQA step into the initial translation process adds a team of language experts who work directly with language service providers to address common translation issues and make sure all your content is appropriate for the brand and culture.

An LQA examines the initial translation and provides feedback — reviewing the translated content for language errors, inconsistent wording, inclusive language, accessibility, and cohesive brand representation. To put it simply, combine LQA with content review and pre-publication checks to make sure that you will get the right final look first time round.

2. Anticipating the Final Look is Far Less Expensive Than Reacting to It

Localization would be so much easier if it was simply a matter of translating words and dropping them back into the same app or layout. Many a company has gone into their first project assuming that this is how the process works – only to be blindsided by additional expenses and work.

But a proactive and empowered in-house LQA team is, once again, able to move your quality control up in the process to avoid the costly re-work.

At Chillistore, we understand the importance of preparing our customers’ content for global expansion and ensuring seamless internationalization. Our team works closely with you to thoroughly analyze your content, identify cultural nuances, and adapt it to suit the target market’s preferences. We employ a comprehensive approach, including localization, transcreation, and market-specific research to ensure that your content is not only linguistically accurate but also culturally relevant and appealing.

Preparing for Text Expansion in Digital and Print.

A lesson that’s best learned early is that translation will expand the text length – in some cases by up to 30%. This can truncate callouts in print or UI elements on a website or app and create “ghost text” that leaves critical information missing – not to mention it will likely create customer service frustrations later.

Going With the Flow: Print-specific LQA Issues

A diligent LQA team that understands text expansion will also be on the lookout for page flow and layout concerns: making sure the correct and culturally appropriate images are located with the relevant type and even making sure the table of contents page references are updated after translation.

We prioritize quality and make sure that the final output meets the highest linguistic standards by incorporating an LSO (Linguistic Sign-Off) step into our workflow. Following the Translation, Review, LQA, and DTP (Desktop Publishing) stages, the LSO step serves as a critical checkpoint before moving to production. Our linguists carefully review not only printed materials but also eBooks, webpages, and other formats to confirm that they look polished and professional before printing or publishing. This extra layer of scrutiny ensures that you receive top-notch, error-free content that aligns with your brand and resonates with your target audience.

LQA + In-Context Checks

Proactive digital production LQA teams verify the quality, sizing, and file format of localized graphics and double-check the references and link tags to make sure the experience will be intuitive for the user, a workflow much like our LSO step.

The Solution? Making LQA an End-to-end Integration: The Chillistore Language Ownership Program

At Chillistore, a company that got our start in LQA and quickly gained a reputation for its innovativeness, we’ve had years to consider the process and see the successes and failures of good LQA up close – and recognize firsthand why quality should come first for any company looking to reach out to customers in other countries. These lessons have led us to develop an entire process we call the Language Ownership Program.

The concept is simple enough: Bridging the gaps between translators, reviewers, and extended stakeholders in the localization process means errors are found before they’re customer-facing, and inconsistencies are eliminated before they detract from your product’s success. Our Language Ownership Program turns LQA into a continuous improvement process where every stakeholder is involved in bringing quality to the next level.

To do it, we form close relationships with your team, working as both project managers and linguistics experts to guarantee a fluid workflow. As a result, you get not just accurate translation but a culturally sensitive and relatable finished product everyone on the team is proud of – and that your customer is happy to experience at the end of the process.

Let’s Make Some Change Together

Want to learn more about creating continuous quality improvement in your LQA? It’s what Chillistore has been helping companies do for over a decade. And we would love to help you too.