Translation-quality standards
Encyclopedia
Like any supplier of goods or services, a translator
potentially bears ethical and legal obligations toward his patron
or employer. Lately, this has turned out to be of enormous importance with the development of language industry
at global scale. For the protection of both parties, standards have been developed that seek to spell out their mutual duties.
were originally developed for manufacturing
business
es. Code
s for all types of services are now maintained by standardization organizations such as the International Organization for Standardization
. Standards of this type include those of the ISO 9000
series.
As interest in quality management
has grown, specific quality standards have been developed for translation
services. These have included the Italian
UNI 10574, the German
DIN 2345, the Austria
n Önorm D 1200 and Önorm D 1201, and the EN 15038.
an EN 15038
translation-services standard went into effect on August 1, 2006, replacing the previous standards of the 30 individual CEN
member countries. It aims to unify the terminology
used in the translation
field, define basic requirements for language
-service providers (human
and technical
resources, quality control
, and project management
) and create a framework for the interaction of customer
s and service provider
s in terms of their right
s and obligation
s. It also defines certain services, in addition to translation, that may be offered by language-service providers.
A strong focus is on administrative, documentation
, review
and revision
processes, as well as on the functions of different specialists who guide the translation project over its duration. Appendices
to the standard provide information and suggestions on how best to comply with the standard.
The Canadian Standard for Translation Services CAN CGSB 131.10 - 2008 establishes and defines the requirements for the provision of translation services by translation service providers.
This National Standard of Canada is a modified adoption of the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) standard EN 15038 Translation Services. This document was prepared with the intent to harmonize where possible with the provisions of EN 15038 Translation Services. Variances in wording and content with EN 15038 reflect the Canadian perspective.
Conformity assessment and certification based on this standard are already in place. With the recent development of national and regional standards for translation services, many translation service providers, nationally and internationally, are now in the process of either considering or seeking certification of the services they provide in meeting the demands of the marketplace.
The standard specifies the requirements for the provision of translation services by the translation service provider (TSP).
The standard does not apply to interpreting or terminology services.
translation-services standard is the ASTM F2575-06 Standard Guide for Quality Assurance in Translation. It provides a framework for customers and translation-service providers desirous of agreeing on the specific requirements of a translation project. It does not provide specific criteria for translation or project quality, as these requirements may be highly individual, but states parameter
s that should be considered before beginning a translation project. As the document's name suggests, it is a guideline
, informing stakeholders about what basic quality requirements are in need of compliance, rather than a prescriptive set of detail instructions for the translator.
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
potentially bears ethical and legal obligations toward his patron
Patrón
Patrón is a luxury brand of tequila produced in Mexico and sold in hand-blown, individually numbered bottles.Made entirely from Blue Agave "piñas" , Patrón comes in five varieties: Silver, Añejo, Reposado, Gran Patrón Platinum and Gran Patrón Burdeos. Patrón also sells a tequila-coffee blend known...
or employer. Lately, this has turned out to be of enormous importance with the development of language industry
Language industry
The language industry is the sector of activity dedicated to designing, producing, and marketing tools, products, or services related to computerized language processing...
at global scale. For the protection of both parties, standards have been developed that seek to spell out their mutual duties.
Criticism: over-dependence on standards
There is, however, a view within the translation industry that, while not doing any actual harm, an over-reliance on such standards can give a false sense of security. Blindly following translation standards does not on its own provide real assurance regarding translation quality. The argument is that the path to quality in translation is by focusing more on providing on-going training and feedback to translators.History
Standards of quality and documentationDocumentation
Documentation is a term used in several different ways. Generally, documentation refers to the process of providing evidence.Modules of Documentation are Helpful...
were originally developed for manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
es. Code
Code
A code is a rule for converting a piece of information into another form or representation , not necessarily of the same type....
s for all types of services are now maintained by standardization organizations such as the International Organization for Standardization
International Organization for Standardization
The International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO, is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial...
. Standards of this type include those of the ISO 9000
ISO 9000
The ISO 9000 family of standards relates to quality management systems and is designed to help organizations ensure they meet the needs of customers and other stakeholders . The standards are published by ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, and available through National...
series.
As interest in quality management
Quality management
The term Quality management has a specific meaning within many business sectors. This specific definition, which does not aim to assure 'good quality' by the more general definition , can be considered to have four main components: quality planning, quality control, quality assurance and quality...
has grown, specific quality standards have been developed for translation
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
services. These have included the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
UNI 10574, the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
DIN 2345, the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n Önorm D 1200 and Önorm D 1201, and the EN 15038.
EN 15038
The EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an EN 15038
EN 15038
EN15038 is a quality standard developed especially for translation services providers. The EN15038 standard ensures the consistent quality of the service...
translation-services standard went into effect on August 1, 2006, replacing the previous standards of the 30 individual CEN
European Committee for Standardization
The European Committee for Standardization or Comité Européen de Normalisation , is a non-profit organisation whose mission is to foster the European economy in global trading, the welfare of European citizens and the environment by providing an efficient infrastructure to interested parties for...
member countries. It aims to unify the terminology
Terminology
Terminology is the study of terms and their use. Terms are words and compound words that in specific contexts are given specific meanings, meanings that may deviate from the meaning the same words have in other contexts and in everyday language. The discipline Terminology studies among other...
used in the translation
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
field, define basic requirements for language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
-service providers (human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
and technical
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
resources, quality control
Quality control
Quality control, or QC for short, is a process by which entities review the quality of all factors involved in production. This approach places an emphasis on three aspects:...
, and project management
Project management
Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, securing, and managing resources to achieve specific goals. A project is a temporary endeavor with a defined beginning and end , undertaken to meet unique goals and objectives, typically to bring about beneficial change or added value...
) and create a framework for the interaction of customer
Customer
A customer is usually used to refer to a current or potential buyer or user of the products of an individual or organization, called the supplier, seller, or vendor. This is typically through purchasing or renting goods or services...
s and service provider
Service provider
A service provider is an entity that provides services to other entities. Usually, this refers to a business that provides subscription or web service to other businesses or individuals. Examples of these services include Internet access, Mobile phone operators, and web application hosting...
s in terms of their right
Right
Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people, according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical theory...
s and obligation
Obligation
An obligation is a requirement to take some course of action, whether legal or moral. There are also obligations in other normative contexts, such as obligations of etiquette, social obligations, and possibly...
s. It also defines certain services, in addition to translation, that may be offered by language-service providers.
A strong focus is on administrative, documentation
Documentation
Documentation is a term used in several different ways. Generally, documentation refers to the process of providing evidence.Modules of Documentation are Helpful...
, review
Review
A review is an evaluation of a publication, a product or a service, such as a movie , video game, musical composition , book ; a piece of hardware like a car, home appliance, or computer; or an event or performance, such as a live music concert, a play, musical theater show or dance show...
and revision
Revision
Revision is the process of revising.More specifically, it may refer to:* Update, a modification of software or a database* Revision control, the management of changes to sets of computer files* Belief revision...
processes, as well as on the functions of different specialists who guide the translation project over its duration. Appendices
Addendum
An addendum, in general, is an addition required to be made to a document by its reader subsequent to its printing or publication. It comes from the Latin verbal phrase addendum est, being the gerundive form of the verb addo, addere, addidi, additum, "to give to, add to", meaning " must be added"...
to the standard provide information and suggestions on how best to comply with the standard.
CAN CGSB 131.10-2008 - NATIONAL STANDARD OF CANADA for TRANSLATION SERVICES
On May 12,2009,the Language Industry Association, AILIA launched the latest standards certification program in the world. The certification is based on CAN/CGSB-131.10-2008, Translation Services, a national standard developed by the Canadian General Standards Board and approved by the Standards Council of Canada. It involved the participation of representatives from AILIA, professional associations, government, education, clients, and other stakeholders.The Canadian Standard for Translation Services CAN CGSB 131.10 - 2008 establishes and defines the requirements for the provision of translation services by translation service providers.
This National Standard of Canada is a modified adoption of the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) standard EN 15038 Translation Services. This document was prepared with the intent to harmonize where possible with the provisions of EN 15038 Translation Services. Variances in wording and content with EN 15038 reflect the Canadian perspective.
Conformity assessment and certification based on this standard are already in place. With the recent development of national and regional standards for translation services, many translation service providers, nationally and internationally, are now in the process of either considering or seeking certification of the services they provide in meeting the demands of the marketplace.
The standard specifies the requirements for the provision of translation services by the translation service provider (TSP).
The standard does not apply to interpreting or terminology services.
ASTM F2575-06
The AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
translation-services standard is the ASTM F2575-06 Standard Guide for Quality Assurance in Translation. It provides a framework for customers and translation-service providers desirous of agreeing on the specific requirements of a translation project. It does not provide specific criteria for translation or project quality, as these requirements may be highly individual, but states parameter
Parameter
Parameter from Ancient Greek παρά also “para” meaning “beside, subsidiary” and μέτρον also “metron” meaning “measure”, can be interpreted in mathematics, logic, linguistics, environmental science and other disciplines....
s that should be considered before beginning a translation project. As the document's name suggests, it is a guideline
Guideline
A guideline is a statement by which to determine a course of action. A guideline aims to streamline particular processes according to a set routine or sound practice. By definition, following a guideline is never mandatory. Guidelines are not binding and are not enforced. A guideline is a statement...
, informing stakeholders about what basic quality requirements are in need of compliance, rather than a prescriptive set of detail instructions for the translator.