Getting Started with LQA

Linguistic Quality Assurance refers to the systematic process of evaluating translations based on a predefined schema of error categories. Smartling supports LQA by allowing users to set up LQA within a specific workflow and workflow step. When content reaches that step, linguists can edit translations and log LQA errors for each string.

In Smartling, there are two distinct approaches available for conducting LQA: LQA Basic and LQA Suite. 

LQA Basic

LQA is performed in a translation production project. LQA evaluation is enabled for a specific workflow step. When content reaches that step, linguists can log LQA errors for each string and edit translations. 

Pros: 
➕ Quality assurance can occur "in real time" while translations are being written, edited, and published. 

Cons: 
➖ If production content changes frequently, the LQA review process can be disrupted by ongoing content updates, and post-publication LQA review can affect production content. 

LQA Suite

This is currently available as a beta feature. If you are interested in enabling LQA Suite for your account, please reach out to your Customer Success Manager.

LQA is completed in a separate, dedicated LQA project. Translation snapshots are sent from the production project to the dedicated LQA space where reviewers are able to log LQA errors for each string and edit translations. LQA evaluation is enabled for a specific workflow step, similar to LQA Basic. Content owners can grant reviewers the ability to push edited translations back to the production project, or they can review the modified translations themselves and push the edits back in bulk. 

Pros: 
➕ Quality assurance can be performed separately from your production translation environment. 

➕ Provides an excellent way to conduct LQA evaluations on a set volume of content on a regular schedule (e.g., 10,000 words from each target locale, quarterly) 

➕ Helps stabilize your LQA sample and prevents ongoing production content changes from impacting the LQA process. 

Regardless of the approach you choose, to start using LQA, you will need to:

1. Select and publish an LQA Schema
   • Including the categories, error types, their descriptions, and the default severity of each error. 
2. Add LQA to a workflow
   • You can create a workflow specifically for LQA, add an LQA step to an existing workflow, or simply enable LQA on any existing post-translation step within a workflow (including the Published step).
   • If you use LQA Suite, when you create a new LQA-type project, you have the option to create a new workflow. This will automatically generate a new workflow that is compatible with LQA Suite. For more information please see LQA Project Workflows. 
3. Assign users to the LQA step
   • Add translation vendors or reviewers who will be evaluating translations to the LQA step in your workflow. 

Setting Up LQA

Step 1: Select and publish an LQA Schema

Whether you choose Basic LQA or LQA Suite, you must first select a schema. The LQA schema outlines the different types of errors, error categories, and their severity levels that can be logged and tracked. Smartling also provides a pre-configured MQM schema template as an option for calculating translation quality. You can use an existing schema or create a new schema.

Use an Existing Schema

To access your LQA Schemas: 

1. Go to Account Settings > Linguistic Quality Assurance
   • Here you can find a list of all LQA schemas in your account
   • When you create a schema, it will be in a draft state until you publish it. It will then be accessible on your workflow steps. Published schemas are non-editable.
   • You can have multiple schemas on any workflow, but only one schema per workflow step
   • Click the ellipsis to Edit the schema name, disable, or delete the draft schema entirely
     • Note, you must disable a published schema before you can delete it.
       
2. To enter and edit any schema, click the schema name.
3. From here, you can view the list of errors in the schema, edit or remove the errors, create a new category, and create a new error.

Linguists can view the LQA Schema Details while conducting LQA. They cannot modify the schema but can reference the error categories and their descriptions. 

Create a New Schema

To create a new schema: 

1. Click Account Settings
2. Choose Linguistic Quality Assurance
3. Click Create Schema
4. Choose to create new schema or choose one of the following templates:
   1. Smartling LQA Schema (Simplified MQM)
   2. Smartling LQA Schema (Full MQM)

Edit the schema:

If you used a template:

1. Enter a name for your schema. 
2. Edit the weights of each severity level. (optional - default values are pre-populated) 
3. Enter a value for Acceptable Penalty Points. By default, this value is set to 20. 
4. Click Confirm.
5. (Optional): Enter the schema by clicking the name. From here, you can add categories/errors and/or edit/disable any categories/errors. 
6. When you're done editing, you can publish the schema template.

Note: The schema severity levels and weights cannot be edited once the schema is published. If you need to adjust the severity levels and weights after publishing, you will have to create a new schema.

If you created the schema via the dialog, do the following:

1. 1. Enter a schema name
   2. Choose error severity format
      • Numeric and enter the severity levels from lowest to highest
      • Alternatively, enter a custom severity format and custom severity levels
   3. Click Confirm

Next, develop the schema with categories and errors. To add categories to the schema:

1. Enter the schema by clicking the name
2. Click + Create Category
3. Enter a category name and description
4. Click Save
5. Continue to create as many categories as your schema requires

Next, create errors in each category. To add errors to the schema:

1. When you're ready to create errors for each category, click + Create Error
2. Choose which category the error is to be applied to (required)
3. Enter the error name (required)
4. Enter a description (optional)
5. Choose a default severity level for the error (optional)
6. Decide if reviewers should be able to amend the default severity level for the error by selecting the checkbox
7. Continue until all schema categories have errors

Publish the Schema

Once you have selected your schema, it must be published in order to use it in a workflow. By default, when you create a new schema, it will be in a draft state and unavailable for use in a workflow until at least one category and error has been created. 

When the schema is ready, click Publish. 

Note: You cannot edit published schemas. If you require modifications to any schema, you must create a new version.

Step 2: Add LQA to a Workflow

LQA will only be available on post-translation steps. There are a number of ways you can add LQA to a workflow:

1. Create a dedicated LQA workflow
2. Create a dedicated LQA workflow step within an existing workflow
3. Enable LQA on any post-translation step

Create a dedicated LQA workflow

If you use LQA Suite, when you create a new LQA-type project, you have the option to create a new workflow. This will automatically generate a new workflow that is compatible with LQA Suite. For more information, please see LQA Project Workflows. Otherwise, follow the steps to creating a workflow and decide whether the workflow should have a dedicated LQA workflow step or integrate it with any post-translation step.

Create a dedicated LQA workflow step within an existing workflow 

• On the workflow you want LQA to be performed on, add a review step type
• It is recommended that “Automatically submit edits by users” is “off”, and LQA is not set up on a step that can be “skipped” in a dynamic workflow
• Next, follow steps to enable LQA on any post-translation step

Enable LQA on any post-translation step

Under Quality Assurance, select Use this step for Linguistic Quality Assurance, and select which published schema should be used from the dropdown.

This setting is available on the Published step, so you can perform LQA on completed translations.

Reviewers can send updated translations to original project: This functionality is part of LQA Suite.  Enable this setting to allow reviewers to push edited translations back to the production project. For more info, please see LQA Suite: Translation Round-Trip.

Step 3: Assign users to the LQA step

After setting up a workflow for LQA, add the translation vendors or reviewers to the LQA step in your workflow. They will then be able to evaluate translations once they reach the LQA step. Evaluations can be performed in the CAT tool or in Review mode.

If you work with Smartling Language Services (SLS) as your LQA vendor, workflow assignments will be added and managed by SLS.

For information on how translations are evaluated with LQA, read our documentation for translators on Evaluating Translations with LQA.

(Optional) Step 4: Add secondary or tertiary LQA-enabled steps 

You can add additional LQA-enabled steps for Arbitration, Rebuttal, etc. allowing the original translation team to review the LQA errors and comments, and dispute them if necessary. 

Quality Reporting

Evaluating translations with LQA generates a range of reports, including:

1. LQA Dashboard: a visual representation of data on translation assessment with MQM scores. Only available when the MQM schema template is used.
2. LQA Reporting Analysis: an overview of LQA activity on a string-level.
3. LQA Error Density: a report on the density of LQA errors.
4. LQA Errors & Arbitration: an overview of errors and arbitration recorded in the evaluation.