Technical Documentation Localization Quality Audit Checklist

For Technical, Industrial & Regulated Exporters

Writing and translating technical documentation has certain specific characteristics that must be taken into account when establishing documentation management processes. A technical documentation writing and translation project is like an orchestra: all parts must be properly coordinated and aligned in order to achieve a high-quality product.

We have prepared a checklist to analyze the quality of the documentation and multilingual software processes in your company. This list will help you identify obstacles and find solutions. Properly managed documentation and software technical writing and translation/localization processes are key to ensuring the quality of products, devices, and machines and enabling them to be marketed worldwide.

The first step is to review the original content, which is often written by engineers who are not experts in content writing. In addition, there are a number of features to consider when writing technical content that will later be translated, in order to facilitate the work of linguists and reduce costs:

1- Write in short, clear sentences

2- Use terminology consistently

3- Do not use internal company terminology

4- Avoid acronyms and abbreviations, or add an explanation for each one

In addition to reviewing the original text, the glossary is the foundation of any translation project that aims to achieve adequate quality. If the glossary is managed correctly, it can help ensure that all documentation and translations are written with greater speed, quality, and consistency.

 1- Source Content Readyness

-Is source content written in simplified, consistent English?

-Are key technical terms defined in a centralized glossary?

-Is there a controlled writing style guide for authors? A style guide will help technical writers and translators maintain the same tone and style, ensuring consistency across all documentation and software.

-Are reused content blocks managed via a CMS or reuse system? If you do not have a CMS (Content Management System, such as Dita or Arbortext), you can reuse the content with CAT tools (Computer Assisted Translation tools), such as MemoQ, Trados, or Dejavú and translate only what is really needed.

2- Terminology & Glossary Management

-Is there a validated glossary per language?

-Is terminology consistent across UI and docs?

-Are changes version-controlled and distributed?

-Is terminology approved by technical experts?

3- Translation & Vendor Quality

-Do vendors follow ISO 17100 or equivalent?

There are several specific standards for translation and post-editing:

1. ISO 17100:2015 (Translation services — Requirements for translation services) is the international reference standard for human translation services.
2. ISO 18587:2017 (Translation services — Post-editing of machine translation output) is the specific standard for machine translation post-editing (MTPE).
3. ISO 11669:2012 (Translation projects — General guidance) is not certifiable, but provides guidelines for managing translation projects.

-Are internal SMEs reviewing translations?

-Are error reports and corrections tracked?

-Are quality metrics regularly reported?

4- UI and Software Localization Quality

-Is localized UI tested in real environments?

-Are truncation and encoding issues checked?

-Is terminology consistent with documentation?

-Are QA tools/scripts used to validate?

5- Labeling, Packaging & Compliance

-Are labels reviewed for legal format/fit?

-Is regulatory language tracking in place?

-Are multilingual updates versioned?

-Are labeling changes synced with translation?

6- Engineering Change & Update Sync

-Are updates triggered by spec changes?

-Is revision traceability maintained?

-Are engineers notified for revalidation?

-Are legacy translations reviewed?

7- Organizational Readiness

-Is localization owned by a specific team?

-Are stakeholders included in product lifecycle?

-Are localization KPIs tracked?

-Have you run an external localization audit?

Conclusion

Technical writing and translation are essential for companies that manufacture machinery and electronic devices and sell them to other countries. Knowledge of regulations and terminology is crucial for good writing and translation.

Complying with regulations, ensuring that documentation meets the needs of the machinery/device and the users who operate it, achieving a level of quality that reflects professionalism… Technical documentation and the software that usually accompanies it must meet all these requirements. Having clear objectives will help us achieve them.