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9 Internationally Accepted Standards in Translation Industry
Before assigning a translation project to a Language Service Provider (LSP), the prospect customer will first inquire about the quality of translation they will get. Does this organization hire professional translators? Are they specialized in my field of industry? And so on…
Which evokes the question: What are the criteria of good translation?
To answer the above question, please read this article to find what the international translation standards are and what value they add to the translation process.
What Is Translation Quality and Why Does It Matter So Much?
In the simplest terms, quality is the totality of features and characteristics of commodities or services that conveys their attributes to fulfill previously defined requirements, and this is according to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
As to the translation process, it can be defined as the degree to which the translator is able to reproduce and express the information and purpose embodied in the source text.
Main Departments Covered by Translation Standards
Because the translation project is a long mission, the translation standards are not merely bound to the problem of text corrections, they have other sections to monitor, as follows:
1. Human Resources
These standards highlight the need for qualified and experienced translators and other professionals involved in the translation process.
2. Quality Management
It is very much required that they have reliable systems of quality management in place to guarantee good translations and that they can be reproducing good performances.
3. Project Management
Project management procedures are developed to ensure the timely completion of projects and adherence to the requirements of clients.
4. Client-TSP Relationship
These standards govern the relations between the Translation Service Providers (TSPs) and their clients, namely, measures to make feedback and other issues that may arise in the process.
5. International Recognition
ISO 17100 particularly stands out in the international arena as it is designed to sustain quality and consistency across different cultures and regions.
Top ISO Standards That Define Quality in Translation
There are +19 published ISO Standards for Language Service Providers, the most relevant of which are the following.
1. ISO 17100:2015 — Translation Services
ISO 17100:2015 is an international Standard for Translation Services adopted by the members of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 2015, which substitutes the former EN 15038 European Standard, and establishes the technical criteria for the quality and conformity of translation services to target requirements. The standard describes all stages.
It concentrates on roles with an emphasis on the qualifications and responsibility of the translator, the reviser, and the project manager, who have a qualification in translation or a relevant field and/or have gained appropriate experience. The standard also describes the application of technology, as well as monitoring and evaluation of translation quality and feedback collection from clients in order to achieve high-quality translations and clients’ satisfaction.
2. ISO 9001:2015 — Quality Management Systems (QMS)
ISO 9001:2015 is a comprehensive standard for enhancing quality that can be applied for any organisation no matter its size or type. This standard establishes requirements for a QMS designed to ensure that products and services are of satisfactory quality so that the customer and regulatory requirements are alternately always met.
When it comes to translation services, project management, resources, and improvement make the translation process itself ISO 9001:2015 compliant. It assists translation companies to uphold high requirements, increase customer satisfaction, and increase efficiency in general. However, it is broader and not oriented towards translation per se, but focused on general principles of quality management.
For translation services, it helps increase customer satisfaction and efficiency.
3. ISO 27001:2022 — Information Security Management Systems (ISMS)
ISO 27001:2022 is the standard designed to assist any organisation to protect the clients’ privacy by establishing Information Security Management Systems (ISMS).
Though not strictly pertaining to translation, it is significant for translation agencies dealing with sensitive or confidential information.
ISO 27001 provides confidence concerning translation service providers’ reliability to safeguard clients’ information, secrets, and integrity amid other security aspects. This is an issue that is essential with regard to translations in some sensitive fields such as finances, medical, and legal services.
4. ISO 13485:2016 — Medical Devices
ISO 13485:2016 was developed for a specific category of organisations that design, produce and install medical equipment and related services.
This standard applies to any organisation involved with medical devices, and its perspective on how quality management systems should be implemented.
For translation purposes, ISO 13485:2016 focuses on translations in relation to medical devices, legal documents, or clinical test data. It makes certain that the quality and requirements of translations will be applied in the field of medical equipment, which is very important in terms of patient safety.
5. ISO 18587:2017 — Post-Editing of Machine Translation Output (MTPE)
ISO 18587:2017 is the international standard concerning the machine translation post-editing (MTPE) and was passed as the first one of its kind. As such, this standard describes the requirements of human translators who post-edit the output of automated translation in order to maintain quality and precision of the machine outputs.
It encompasses the competencies of post-editors, the manner in which the editing is done, and the assessment of the edited versions of translated materials. This is very important for translation businesses that incorporate CAT tools in their work.
ISO 18587:2017 is crucial for the quality and reliability at the end of the translation project.
6. ISO 20771:2020 — Legal Translation
ISO 20771:2020 is the only international standard aimed at the detailed procedural aspects of individual legal translators. It indicates the necessary competences and qualifications required in legal translators, revisers, reviewers, and in other areas of procedures and practices involved in translation. Standard normative documents include the description of major processes, management of resources, assurance of confidentiality, training, and professional enhancement.
It proposes a “two pairs of eyes” policy; each document has to be translated by a legal translator and subsequently revised by the reviser of the same qualifications.
This standard is not concerned with interpreting services or the reproduction of machine translation output.
Other Relevant ISO Standards
The following standards are not specifically international or translation-specific, nor are they the latest versions. Still, they are relevant to the modern TSPs.
7. EN 15038 (Replaced by ISO 17100:2015)
For a long time, EN 15038 was the European standard for translation services. Even though it is superseded by ISO 17100:2015, it was necessary for the development of current international standards.
EN 15038 outlined the conditions for the provision of translation services and it indicated inter-alia, the presence of skilled human resources, technical resources, quality management systems, and procedures for management of projects. It placed an emphasis on the needs of translators, revisers, and project managers and provided a specific quality management system to be followed for translation services.
As much as it does not apply now, its practices are incorporated in the existing one, ISO 17100:2015.
8. CAN CGSB 131.10-2008
The Canadian benchmark for translation services, CAN/CGSB-131.10-2008, was established by the Canadian General Standards Board.
This standard is derived from the European standard EN 15038 and outlines parameters regarding the provision of translation services. This includes topics such as staffing, technical resources, quality management processes, and project management processes.
For the translation services offered in Canada, the standard stresses the importance of selecting the right human resource, mutual understanding of project requirements, and compliance with these requirements during the project.
9. ASTM F2575-06
ASTM F2575-06 is an American standard meant to further improve and provide the guidelines for quality assurance in translation assignment. It is not an instructive standard but more like a directive that summaries the factors to be considered before commencement of a translation project.
This standard addresses the areas of project preparation, personnel and their training, translation, and evaluation of translation quality. It assists the parties in communities to be empirical at the beginning of a translation project and whether it would be at the end of the project. However, it does not contain such specifics for translation and project quality, but it can be regarded as an effective management mechanism during translation agency operations for the needs of customers.
Benefits of ISO Standards for Clients and Translators
- Consistency: ISO standards ensure consistent quality across translations, regardless of the project’s scope or language pair.
- Credibility: Businesses adhering to these standards build trust and credibility with clients.
- Efficiency: Clear guidelines streamline workflows, reducing errors and delays.
As a Final Point
All the above standards are effective for a limited validity time and need a systematic revision to emphasise that the translation organisation is continuously abiding by the industry standards.
Once applied in an organisation, these standards will add prestige to the business, and the customers will be convinced that this office can produce well-qualified standardised translations, because its translation services are periodically audited by a high-status international organisation.