Professional translators under ISO 17100

ISO 17100 devotes an important part of the standard to the competences of professional translators, revisers and project managers. The quality of a translation does not depend only on the process. It also depends on the people involved in it.

For that reason, the standard does not simply state that the translator must know two languages. It defines a series of professional competences, qualification requirements and experience criteria that a translation agency must verify before assigning a project.

In a translation conforming to ISO 17100, the company must be able to demonstrate that the assigned professionals have suitable preparation for the relevant type of text and language combination.

What ISO 17100 means by professional translator

A professional translator is not simply a bilingual person. Under the approach of the standard, the translator must be able to understand the source content, render it correctly in the target language and adapt it to the intended purpose of the text.

This requires linguistic accuracy, appropriate terminology, textual coherence and knowledge of the specialised field.

The standard also requires the translator to be able to carry out research, resolve terminology doubts, use technical tools and follow the project specifications agreed.

Competences a translator must have

ISO 17100 identifies several professional competences that the translator must have.

Translation competence

This is the ability to translate the source content correctly and solve problems of comprehension, writing and equivalence between languages.

It is not a matter of translating word for word. The translator must produce a natural, accurate text that is appropriate for the context.

Linguistic and textual competence

The translator must fully understand the source language and write fluently in the target language.

In addition, the translator must know the textual conventions of each type of document. A contract, an informed consent form, a technical manual and a website page are not written in the same way.

Research and documentation competence

Many projects require consultation of external sources, legislation, technical documentation, glossaries or terminology references.

The standard considers it essential for the translator to know how to locate and use reliable information.

Cultural competence

The translator must understand cultural references, local conventions and differences in usage between countries and language variants.

This matters even between countries that share a language. A translation valid for Spain may not work in the same way in Mexico, Argentina or the United States.

Technical competence

Almost all professional projects now use technical tools: translation memories, terminology databases, CAT software, quality control systems or management platforms.

The standard requires the translator to be able to work with these resources when the project requires them.

Domain competence

The translator must understand the specialised field of the text.

In a medical and pharmaceutical translation, for example, the translator must understand clinical terminology, regulatory documentation and biomedical concepts. In a legal translation, the translator must understand legal structures, procedural terminology and differences between legal systems.

What qualifications ISO 17100 accepts

The standard sets out three main ways to prove the translator’s qualifications.

A university degree in translation

This is the most direct route. The translator has higher education specifically in translation.

A university degree in another field plus professional experience

A person with university studies in another field may also work under ISO 17100 if he or she has at least two years of full-time professional experience in translation.

This is common in technical, legal or scientific areas.

Demonstrable professional experience

The third route is to prove five years of full-time professional experience in translation.

The standard recognises that sustained experience can also demonstrate professional competence.

Revisers under ISO 17100

Revision is one of the most important elements of the standard. For that reason, the reviser must have competences equivalent or superior to those of the translator.

In addition, the reviser must have experience in the relevant subject area.

The reviser’s role is not only to correct typographical errors. The reviser must compare the translation with the source text to check accuracy, terminology, coherence, suitability for purpose and compliance with the project specifications.

In a translation conforming to ISO 17100, the reviser must be a person other than the translator.

Reviewers and subject-matter specialists

The standard also covers the role of the reviewer.

This professional reviews the final text from a monolingual and specialised perspective. The purpose is to check that the content is suitable for the specific field and for the intended use.

A reviewer may be involved, for example, in medical, pharmaceutical, financial or technical translations where additional content validation is necessary.

Translation project managers

Quality does not depend only on translators and revisers. Translation project management is essential to coordinate resources, control deadlines, resolve incidents and verify that the project complies with the agreed specifications.

The project manager must know the translation process, understand the client’s requirements and coordinate the different stages of the project correctly.

In multilingual or complex projects, this role is especially important.

Continuing training and maintenance of competences

ISO 17100 does not consider it sufficient to obtain a qualification and then stop updating one’s knowledge.

The translation agency must keep records showing that professional competences are maintained and regularly updated through continuing practice, training or other means.

This is especially relevant in technical terminology, CAT tools, localisation, website translation, artificial intelligence applied to translation, post-editing, sector-specific standards and medical or pharmaceutical regulation.

Why the translator’s qualification matters

Many serious errors are not caused by lack of language knowledge, but by lack of specialisation, context or revision.

A translation can be linguistically correct and still be unsuitable for its purpose.

That is why ISO 17100 places so much emphasis on the competences, experience and traceability of the professionals involved.

Quality in translation does not depend solely on an automatic tool or on an isolated translator. It depends on a set of people, resources and controls coordinated within a process.

Machine translation and professional competence

Machine translation tools and translation technologies can speed up certain tasks, but they do not replace the competences defined in ISO 17100.

Even when machine translation systems are used, specialised human intervention is still required to check terminology, coherence, context and the purpose of the text.

When a project requires post-editing of machine translation, it should be distinguished from the specific framework of ISO 17100 and related to ISO 18587.

LinguaVox and professional translators

LinguaVox works with translators, revisers and project managers specialised in different technical, legal, medical, pharmaceutical, commercial and corporate areas.

The selection of professionals takes into account the language combination, subject area, experience and specific requirements of each project.

Request a translation quote

Frequently asked questions about professional translators and ISO 17100

What does ISO 17100 require from a professional translator?

The standard requires translation, linguistic, technical, cultural and specialist competences, as well as demonstrable training or professional experience.

Can someone without a translation degree work under ISO 17100?

Yes. The standard also accepts university qualifications in other fields with professional translation experience or demonstrable experience of at least five years.

What is the difference between a translator and a reviser?

The translator produces the initial translation and performs the check. The reviser compares the translation with the source text to detect errors and verify that the text meets the intended purpose.

Must revision be carried out by another person?

Yes. Under ISO 17100, independent revision must be carried out by a person other than the translator.

Does the standard require native translators?

The standard does not use that exact term, but it does require full linguistic and textual competence in the target language, as well as knowledge of local and cultural conventions.

Does ISO 17100 also apply to freelance translators?

Yes. The standard can apply to translation companies, in-house departments and freelance translators, provided that the established requirements are met.