At CLEAR Global / Translators without Borders we assess quality using the harmonized Dynamic Quality Framework - Multidimensional Quality Metrics (DQF-MQM) error typology.
We use a simplified version of this error typology with five error categories. Each category includes specific issues that should be considered when we work on a project.
Find below more information on how we score for design.
Design. We want to make sure that the translation is formatted properly and it contains easy to read and follow tables, images, or other visual elements.
Here are some of the most relevant design issues:
- issues with fonts, text direction, spacing, numbers, units or date/time format
- formatting and segmentation issues, cropped elements, elements beyond page margins, missing lines or text, truncation/text expansion issues
- issues with untranslated text on images
- significant discrepancies between the source and the target text lengths
- local formatting errors
- markup errors - issues with codes used to represent structure or formatting of text, also known as “tags”
How to score design?
Make sure you are classifying the issues in the correct category and consider the impact those issues have on the target text. Are they significant? How do they impact the understanding by the target audience?
Keep in mind you are scoring your colleague’s whole chunk or translation. It is important to provide a fair assessment of the complete work.
Make sure you praise exceptional work! 
Important note: some design issues are outside of translator’s control, as the translation often goes to desktop publishing (DTP) processing before delivery.
In case of doubt, please contact your project officer to clarify what is the workflow for the project you are revising.
It is also important to leave a comment about the category together with the score, so your peer can understand the feedback. This is particularly vital when leaving low scores. If you were to receive that score yourself, you would surely appreciate a colleague who also took the time to be helpful!
We know this is not easy, so we put together a few ideas on what each level might mean to guide you on how to decide on a score:
5 Stars: Excellent. There might be a minor slip or two, but no major issues with design choices or consistency.
4 Stars: Good. Just some minor slips, and the occasional issues with design choices.
3 Stars: Satisfactory. The translation followed the correct design for the most part but there were a few issues.
2 Stars: Needs work. There were numerous issues with design that impacted the quality in the target translation. Design was not always consistent.
1 Star: Poor. The appropriate design was not respected.
This is meant as guidance, and there will be situations where not all conditions apply. You should always look at the specific case in front of you to decide!