Check SDLXLIFF, MQXLIFF, XLIFF and TMX files for number, tag, terminology and punctuation errors before delivery, step by step, with a free QA checker.
To QA check a translation before delivery, export or save the bilingual file from your CAT tool, run it through a QA checker, fix the real errors in your CAT tool and check again. The quickest free way is the TraduQ QA checker: drop your XLIFF, SDLXLIFF, MQXLIFF, MQXLZ or TMX files, choose your checks and go through the findings. The check runs in your browser, so the files are never uploaded.
Spell checkers don't catch what clients complain about most: a number that changed, a missing tag that breaks the layout, a glossary term translated the wrong way, a straight quote where the language needs a typographic one. A bilingual QA check compares each target with its source and flags exactly those things.
Accuracy (errors): numbers that differ between source and target, missing, extra or reordered tags, and untranslated segments (empty, or identical to the source). Number format is a warning: numbers not written the way the target language writes them.
Terminology (errors): glossary terms translated differently, forbidden terms in the target, terms that must stay unchanged, and your own patterns (if the source matches a regular expression, the target must match another).
Consistency (warnings): the same source translated in different ways, and the same translation used for different sources, across all loaded files.
Punctuation (warnings): end punctuation that differs, unpaired brackets and quotes, and the punctuation rules of the target language for Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and English, such as the opening ¿ and ¡ in Spanish, non-breaking spaces next to some marks in French, and the right quote style.
Other (warnings): URLs, emails and @handles missing or changed, acronyms, product names and codes missing from the target, double, leading and trailing spaces, and the same word twice in a row. Length (target much longer or shorter than the source) and capitalization (first letter case differs) are available but off by default.
A naive check compares digits. But 1,500 in English and 1.500 in Spanish are the same number, and 1,500 in a Spanish (Spain) target reads as one and a half. The checker reads each number the way the language and region of that side write it, so the correct conversion passes and the wrong one is flagged with what it actually reads as.
The rules table has four types. A term lists the allowed translations of a source term, separated by a vertical bar, and an asterisk matches a word ending. Keep terms must appear unchanged in the target. Forbidden terms must not appear in the target. Patterns use regular expressions. A plain two-column glossary (source, target) imports as terms; a header row such as Source, Target is recognized and skipped. To mix rule types in one file, add a first column with the type.
Turn on "Match word forms" to also find plurals and other forms (dispositivo also matches dispositivos); put a term in quotes to match it exactly. Rules are saved in your browser, not on a server.
Trados Studio. Verification runs with F8 or the Verify button and uses the checks enabled in the project settings: QA Checker 3.0, tag verification, the Terminology Verifier (which needs a termbase) and the Number Verifier.
memoQ. QA runs from memoQ with a QA profile that sets which checks are on, and results appear in a list where you fix or ignore each error and warning.
Xbench. ApSIC Xbench 3.0 is a standalone QA tool that reads the common CAT formats and checks completeness, consistency, numbers, tags and key terms, among others. It is a subscription (listed at €99 a year) with a 30-day trial.
Okapi CheckMate. A free, open-source desktop QA tool from the Okapi Framework that reads XLIFF, TMX, PO and other bilingual formats, flags problems such as mismatched inline codes, missing translations, repeated words and spacing, and lets you turn off false positives so they don't come back. It runs on Java.
Verifika is another commercial QA tool; check its site for current formats and pricing.
Running your CAT tool's own QA is a good habit; a second tool catches different things. For a broader comparison of the tools, see the CAT tools comparison and memoQ vs Trados.
Too many findings. Start with the error checks (numbers, tags, untranslated, terminology), then the warnings. Use "Ignore all like this" for repeated false alarms, such as a product name the client wants translated.
Locked segments flood the report. Locked segments are usually ones the client or project manager doesn't want changed. Use "Hide locked" to review only the rest.
A file is refused when you add it. Files checked together must share the language pair. Check files in another pair separately.
Numbers flagged that look right. Check the target number format. If the client uses a different convention than the target language's default, set it by hand.
Tags in the wrong order. Some languages need a different word order, so reordered tags can be correct. Review them, and ignore the ones that are intended.
The file is in the wrong format. The checker reads XLIFF, SDLXLIFF, MQXLIFF, MQXLZ and TMX. For formats like PO or Excel, convert first with the TMX converter. For more about each format, see XLIFF, TMX and TBX explained.
Yes. Drop the .sdlxliff into the QA checker. It reads it like any XLIFF and checks numbers, tags, terminology, consistency and punctuation. You fix the findings in the CAT tool you work in.
Yes. It reads MQXLIFF and MQXLZ files exported from memoQ, as well as XLIFF 1.2 and 2.0 and TMX.
Yes. Drop several files with the same language pair and they are checked together, including consistency across files, with a filter per file.
No. It reports them with the problem highlighted. Fix them in your CAT tool, then use Re-check to see what is fixed and what is new.
It is free with no sign-up and no limit on checks. The check runs in your browser, so your files never reach TraduQ's server. Your glossary, settings and ignored findings stay in your browser too.
Yes. Export the report as CSV or HTML. It lists each finding with its file, segment, check, severity, source, target and message.
TraduQ is a marketplace where clients hire translators, and its file tools are free and run in your browser. If the memory behind the job needs work too, see how to clean a TMX translation memory and how to merge TMX files.