How to certify the quality of translation services

Certifying the quality of translation services does not mean promising that a translation will be good. It means demonstrating that there is a controlled process for providing the service: project analysis, selection of qualified professionals, translation, independent revision, resource management, final verification and handling of client feedback.

The ISO 17100 standard is one of the main references for certifying professional translation processes. Its approach is not based on a subjective opinion about the final text, but on verifiable requirements concerning how the service is organised and carried out.

That is why it is useful for companies, institutions and public authorities that need to hire a certified translation agency using objective criteria.

What it means to certify a translation service

Certifying a translation service means that an independent body checks whether the company meets the requirements of a given standard.

In the case of ISO 17100, certification focuses on translator and reviser competences, the existence of revision by a person other than the translator, pre-production processes, translation project management, technical and technological resources, control of specifications, traceability, handling of comments and closing administration.

Certification does not automatically make every text perfect. What it provides is a demanding framework for reducing risks and demonstrating that the service is delivered according to a professional procedure.

Translation services certified under ISO 17100

Translation services certified under ISO 17100 must follow a minimum process: translation by a qualified professional, the translator’s check, independent revision, final verification and project management.

This model distinguishes a controlled professional translation from an informal translation or from a translation without external revision.

Independent revision is especially important. A translation revised only by the same person who produced it does not have the same level of control.

In technical, legal, medical, pharmaceutical or corporate sectors, that second review helps detect meaning errors, omissions, terminology inconsistencies and deviations from the purpose of the document.

What a translation company has to document

A certified translation company must be able to demonstrate how it works.

It is not enough to say that it has good professionals. It must keep records and procedures that make it possible to verify who has worked on the project, what qualification or experience each professional has, what instructions have been received from the client, which files have been translated, which languages and variants have been agreed, what revision has been carried out, what incidents have arisen, which version has been delivered and how the project has been closed.

This documentation provides traceability and makes it possible to respond to audits, complaints or later reviews.

Difference between process quality and product quality

It is useful to distinguish two levels.

ISO 17100 focuses on the quality of the translation service process. It regulates how the translation must be organised, who must be involved, what controls are applied and how the project is managed.

The quality of the translated product, that is, the evaluation of the final text as an output, can be analysed using other criteria or models. This is where metrics such as the LISA QA Model, the SAE J2450 standard in automotive translation or more recent standards such as ISO 5060 may appear.

Both approaches complement each other, but they are not the same.

Human requirements: translator and reviser

Quality certification requires control over who translates and who revises.

ISO 17100 establishes that professional translators must have translation, linguistic, textual, cultural, technical and domain competences. They must also provide evidence of sufficient qualification or professional experience.

The reviser must have appropriate competences and be a person other than the translator.

This point is basic. Independent revision is not a commercial add-on. It is a central condition of the process.

In a medical and pharmaceutical translation, for example, the reviser must be able to detect terminology or conceptual problems that could affect the use of the document. In a legal translation, the reviser must check that the text preserves the legal and procedural meaning of the original.

Control of specifications

To certify quality, it is not enough to translate and revise. The specifications agreed with the client must also be met.

These specifications may include deadline, delivery format, target country, language register, style guide, approved terminology, confidentiality, final use of the document, technical requirements, desktop publishing instructions and reference material.

The translation process must follow those requirements. If the client requests a specific variant of Spanish, French, English or Portuguese, that information must be communicated to the translator and the reviser.

Without clear specifications, it is difficult to certify quality in a real way.

Technology and resources

A certified agency must have appropriate technical and technological resources when the project requires them.

These may include translation memories, CAT tools, terminology databases, quality assurance systems, management platforms, localization software or desktop publishing tools.

Translation technology helps maintain consistency, retrieve previous translations, detect formal errors and work with complex formats.

But technology does not replace the human process. A translation memory can support consistency, but it needs supervision. A checking tool can detect inconsistent numbers, but it does not decide whether a clause has been translated correctly.

Certification and sensitive sectors

ISO 17100 certification is especially useful in sectors where an error may have significant consequences.

In medical, pharmaceutical, legal, technical, financial or regulatory translation, it is not enough to receive a text that sounds good. The client needs to know that professional controls have been applied.

In these sectors, certification helps reduce risks related to terminology errors, omissions, poor legal equivalents, ambiguous technical instructions, inconsistencies between documents, uncontrolled changes, incorrect versions and lack of independent revision.

It may also be a requirement in public tenders, supplier approval processes or internal procurement procedures.

Certification and machine translation

Machine translation should not be confused with a translation service certified under ISO 17100.

The current edition of the standard excludes raw machine translation output plus post-editing. For those services there is a specific reference: ISO 18587.

This does not mean that a certified agency cannot use technology. It means that it must explain properly what service it is providing: human translation with revision, machine translation post-editing, quality evaluation or a combination of services under different frameworks.

Sworn translation and certified translation

Sworn, official and certified translation requires a separate explanation.

In Spain, a sworn translation carried out by a sworn translator appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is outside the ISO 17100 process. The sworn translator translates, signs, stamps and certifies the document directly.

However, some certified translations for international procedures, such as certain translations for USCIS, may be managed by a translation company. If they follow a process involving professional translation, revision and verification, they may be delivered under ISO 17100 and also include a certificate of accuracy issued by the company.

These concepts should not be mixed.

How to check whether an agency is certified

Before hiring, the client may request basic information: valid certificate, scope of certification, certification body, languages and services covered, whether the quotation includes independent revision, how comments and corrections are managed, how confidentiality is protected and what happens with files, memories and glossaries.

It is also advisable to check whether the agency explains its process clearly. A page full of promises about quality but without details about revision, resources or management provides little real information.

Why certification helps compare quotations

The price of a translation depends on many factors: language, volume, specialism, deadline, format, revision and additional services.

Two quotations may have different amounts because they do not include the same thing.

A translation without independent revision is not equivalent to a translation conforming to ISO 17100. A project with terminology, desktop publishing and final verification should not be compared directly with a simple translation either.

For that reason, talking about translation rates without explaining the process can lead to wrong decisions.

LinguaVox and quality certification

LinguaVox provides professional translation services with processes certified under ISO 17100. The company works with qualified translators and revisers, specialist project managers, technological resources and internal control procedures.

This approach applies to technical, legal, medical, pharmaceutical, corporate, web and multilingual projects.

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Frequently asked questions about quality certification in translation

What does it mean for a translation to be certified under ISO 17100?

It means that the service has been provided according to a process that includes qualified professionals, independent revision, project management, control of specifications and final verification.

Does ISO 17100 certify the final text?

The standard focuses on the process of providing the service. The final text can be evaluated using other criteria or metrics, but ISO 17100 mainly regulates how the translation must be organised.

Is independent revision mandatory?

Yes. A translation conforming to ISO 17100 must include revision by a person other than the translator and with the appropriate competences.

Can machine translation be certified under ISO 17100?

Not as raw machine translation output plus post-editing within the current edition of the standard. For machine translation post-editing, the appropriate reference is ISO 18587.

Does Spanish sworn translation fall under ISO 17100?

No. Sworn translation in Spain is carried out and certified directly by a sworn translator. It does not follow the usual agency, translator, reviser and project manager workflow defined by ISO 17100.

How can I know whether an agency is really certified?

You can request the valid certificate, review its scope and check which body issued it. It is also advisable to confirm whether the quotation includes independent revision and management in accordance with the standard.