Validating and quality-assuring localized versions of manufacturing documentation in DITA is a critical step to ensure accuracy and consistency across different languages and regions. It involves a combination of manual and automated processes to review and verify the content. Below, we discuss some of the essential approaches used for this purpose, and we provide an example of a DITA XML structure that supports validation and quality assurance.

Manual Review by Linguists

One fundamental aspect of validating localized manufacturing content is manual review by professional linguists or subject matter experts who are fluent in both the source and target languages. These experts meticulously examine the translated content for linguistic accuracy, appropriate terminology usage, and cultural relevance. They ensure that the content reads fluently and makes sense to the target audience. This manual review plays a crucial role in maintaining the quality of the documentation.

Automated Quality Checks

Automation is another key component of validation and quality assurance. DITA enables the integration of automated quality checks into the localization workflow. These checks can identify issues such as inconsistent terminology usage, missing translations, or formatting errors. For example, DITA-based systems can automatically validate that all elements marked for localization are translated and that there are no broken links in the localized content. Automated checks help detect issues early in the process, reducing the need for extensive manual rework and ensuring a higher level of quality.

Validation and QA Example:

Here’s an example of how DITA XML can support validation and quality assurance for localized content:

<topic id="user_manual_en">
  <title>User Manual (English)</title>
  <version>2.0</version>
  <last-reviewed>2023-06-10</last-reviewed>
  <content>...
  </content>
</topic>

<topic id="user_manual_fr">
  <title>User Manual (French)</title>
  <version>2.0</version>
  <last-reviewed>2023-06-15</last-reviewed>
  <content>...
  </content>
</topic>

In this example, we have two versions of a user manual: one in English and one in French. The metadata, version information, and last-reviewed dates are provided for each version. During validation, linguists can compare both versions to ensure consistency and validate the accuracy of the localized content.