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You may have already noticed that our website bears a new seal of quality – Intercontact GmbH is now registered and delivers translations according to the new ISO 17100 standard.
What governs this DIN EN ISO standard and what does it mean for your texts?
The ISO 17100 standard is an industry-wide, international set of regulations for translation services which serves to frame a set of standardised processes and quality measures.
ISO 17100 also defines terms fundamental to translation management, creating a universally applicable vocabulary.
This ensures that customers, agencies and translators are all on the same page and creates a steady footing for mutual trust in relation to quality and delivery reliability.
The standard determines the requirements which all contributors involved in the translation process must meet and calls for their permanent professional development.
In light of this, you can rest assured that every individual involved with your text is up to date and abreast of current developments.
Four eyes are better than two
ISO 17100 requires the four-eyes principle, whereby any specialist translator must have his or her work checked by an equally qualified proofreader. Both must be qualified to degree level in translation or be able to provide evidence of sufficient professional experience to reflect this qualification.
Additionally, it is important for the quality of the translation to work with native speakers of the target language.
The translator’s language competence should however also be matched by their specialist knowledge of the subject matter of the translation.
The focus of the standard is both on the level of qualification, professional experience and specialist knowledge of the experts involved and on defining a process which ensures that the required translation is delivered to you on time and in the best possible quality.
Alongside the four-eyes principle, this also includes the following:
- substantiated terminology work
- the use of technology suitable for translation purposes
- effective quality management.
Does a standardised process also result in a standardised translation?
No – you don’t have to worry about that. Your texts will continue to be individually translated into the target languages as was the case up until now, in agreement with your requirements in terms of subject area, purpose and target audience.
The Intercontact GmbH translation agency will continue to ensure that the appropriate specialists find the right words for the translation of your texts.
The ISO 17100 certification does, however, offer you one decisive bonus: it gives you the additional peace of mind that your text is indeed in the right hands, and confirms you made the right choice of language service provider.