Quality assurance (QA) plays a crucial role in the translation and post-editing process, helping you maintain accuracy, consistency, and compliance with client requirements. By using automatic QA tools, you can streamline your workflow and catch errors that might slip through during manual review. In this article, you’ll discover the key features and advantages of three widely used QA tools: Trados Studio QA Checker, Verifika, and ApSIC Xbench.
Plus, you’ll get a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to generate QA reports in Trados Studio, including the best predefined settings to ensure optimal results.
Common Features Across QA Tools
Despite their differences, Trados Studio, Verifika, and Xbench share quite a lot of common functionalities:
- Terminology and Consistency Checks: Identify inconsistencies within the translation or against a termbase.
- Numerical and Formatting Validation: Detect errors in numbers, punctuation, and formatting.
- Spellchecking and Grammar Checks: Flag potential spelling and grammatical mistakes.
- Tag Verification: Ensure correct placement of tags in translated segments.
- Untranslated or Missing Text Detection: Highlight untranslated segments or missing words
Key Benefits of Trados Studio, Verifika, and ApSIC Xbench
Trados Studio QA Checker
Trados Studio includes a built-in QA Checker (QA Checker 3.0) that allows for customizable verification settings. Its primary strengths include:
- Integrated QA directly within the CAT tool.
- Ability to generate detailed QA reports for both single and multiple files.
- Customizable settings for verification, including predefined project settings.
Verifika
Verifika is an external QA tool known for its efficiency and user-friendly interface. Key strengths include:
- Fast Processing: Handles large files quickly compared to Trados Studio.
- Advanced Consistency Checks: Detects inconsistent translations and terminology discrepancies.
- Interactive Error Correction: Allows direct corrections within the tool before exporting.
ApSIC Xbench
ApSIC Xbench is a versatile QA tool that supports multiple file formats and provides extensive quality checks. Key features include:
- Terminology Management: Acts as both a QA tool and a terminology consistency checker.
- Customizable QA Profiles: Enables very detailed customization of error detection parameters.
- Multi-File Support: Allows batch QA across different translation projects.
While ApSIC Xbench is powerful, its complexity may pose a learning curve for new users, and its terminology checks require proper setup for effective results.
How to Generate a QA Report in Trados Studio
Generating a QA Report for Single or Multiple Files
- Open Projects in Trados Studio.
- Right-click on the file(s) to be checked.
- Navigate to Batch Tasks → Verify Files.
- Click Next and then Finish.
- Once verification is complete, click Verify Files – [number] messages reported.
- Go to Results at the top.
- In the Task Results window, click Reports.
- Select Save As…, choose a directory, and save the report.
- Open the saved file and review errors. Mark fixed errors as “Fixed error” and false positives as “False error” in the comments column.
Predefined Settings for QA in Trados Studio
Before generating a QA report, configure the following settings:
- Go to Project Settings → Verification → QA Checker 3.0.
- Enable relevant checks, including:
- Terminology consistency
- Number verification
- Tag positioning
- Spellcheck
- Punctuation rules
- Adjust settings based on project specifications. Here’s our suggestion for generally optimal results:



4. Perform verification and generate the report.