Working With QA Manual Testers From Latin America
Most people think of quality assurance (QA) as a grumpy engineer yelling across the room about something “not working in production.” But for Paula Alaniz, Head Manual QA at Ewents, testing is relentlessly obsessing about quality for our clients. Companies need testing because users demand quality.
It’s More Than Just Clicking Buttons
First off, let’s get one thing straight: Manual QA isn’t going anywhere. In an era where AI seems to be the answer to everything, you’d think manual testers would all be replaced by AI. But Paula makes a compelling argument for why that’s not the case. In fact, becoming a QA tester nowadays is a great career choice.
Sure, automation is great for speeding up repetitive tasks. But what it can’t do is think like a human.
Let’s look at an edge case: There’s a button on a web app that doesn’t work on the first three clicks, but magically works on the fourth. An AI tester might report it as a bug after the second try and move on. A human tester, though—especially one like Paula—is likely to wonder: WTF, why did it only work the fourth time? why are users still engaging with this feature despite the odd behavior?
These nuanced observations are gold. They point not just to technical issues but to user behavior, something machines are still pretty bad at interpreting. Additionally, through conversations about this behavior, testers can infer other possible side effects (“bugs?”) that a software system could have. There are more than enough reasons why companies still prioritize manual testing over QA Automation.
Just like Manual QA can be erratic, Paula’s journey into QA wasn’t a straight shot either. She started in development, drawn by the technical side of things. But what really captured her attention was accessibility and adaptability testing—areas where human empathy and curiosity play a huge role. Unlike many others in the tech world, she never had much interest in test automation. Now, she’s leading SDET (software development testing) for one of our best cybersecurity clients, so their cyber products keep what matters most: user trust.
Manual QAs hate working with devs – False
One of the things that Paula learned from working with our client is that teams need to talk more. There’s this long-standing myth that “devs hate QAs, and QAs hate devs”. Paula doesn’t buy it. From her experience, the problem isn’t the people—it’s the process.
Most teams rely on ticketing tools like Jira and call it a day. But solving problems takes conversations. Paula’s best work has happened when she’s been part of regular meetings with developers, product owners, and engineers. Everyone puts their cards on the table, asks questions, and aligns on what “done” actually looks like.
So if you’re hiring a QA team from Latin America, look for professionals who don’t just follow instructions, but who genuinely want to be part of the conversation.
Why English Still Matters for QA Testing
Speaking of conversations (no pun intended), if you’re working with QA testers in Latin America, here’s something Paula emphasizes a lot: English fluency is key.
Many companies assume that since the product is global, everyone should already know English. But that’s not always the case. Paula encourages all up-and-coming QA engineers in South America to invest time in learning English—not because it’s trendy, but because it’s practical. Most tickets, comments, and documentation are in English. The better your team can navigate that environment, the smoother your projects will run.
You may be thinking, isn’t language barriers no longer an issue with AI? Yes, AI is helpful. Some people think AI is the future of software testing. In fact, Paula agrees that tools like ChatGPT can be a big help in speeding up report writing and translating tickets from English to Spanish or vice versa. These tools bridge communication gaps and reduce friction in distributed teams.
But again, AI can’t catch everything. It can’t account for weird user behavior, nor can it understand subtle design or UX flaws that might only reveal themselves under real-world usage. That’s why Paula insists on keeping manual QA in the loop—AI supports, but it doesn’t replace.
Best QA Practices That Actually Work
With her experience in the trenches, Paula’s got a solid list of QA best practices that every team—regardless of location—should adopt:
1. Standardize Your Tools
Keep things consistent. Use platforms like Jira for ticketing and documentation so everyone’s speaking the same language.
2. Move Everything to Staging
Local environments are great for experimentation, but all QA work should happen in staging. “It works on my machine” is a guaranteed path for fuc$#ng things up.
3. Test Early and Often
Don’t wait until the end of the development cycle to test. The earlier QA gets involved, the more cost-effective your development becomes. A bug found early might add 10% in QA time—but could save you 50% in dev time down the line.
4. Document Everything
Seriously, everything. Documentation isn’t just for covering your back—it’s a gift to future-you (and your teammates). A well-documented bug or process avoids repeat mistakes and cuts down onboarding time for new hires.
5. Track Long-Term Changes
Just because a bug is closed doesn’t mean it’s dead. Paula recommends following up on fixes, especially months later. Check logs. Re-test edge cases. Make sure the bug didn’t sneak back in under a different name.
Don’t fire your QAs. Hire from LATAM.
There’s a temptation to go fully automated and fire manual QA teams, thinking it’s cost-efficient. That’s a recipe for disaster. Manual testers bring something that machines can’t: empathy, curiosity, and the ability to think like users. So, maybe if you’re looking to cut costs, you just need to hire expert QA manual testers from Latin America.
Ewents is a nearshore software boutique focused on developing high-quality software. We provide testing to all our clients in our fixed-price projects, and also offer QA Automation and QA manual testers from Latin America, for a fraction of the cost. Here’s why you should hire our QA services:
- Our QA testers leverage AI to report bugs and give recommendations
- Language is not a barrier. Our testers speak English.
- We work in US timezone, for a fraction of the cost.
Contact our team about QA services today — your users will appreciate it.
