Professional translation and interpretation services in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Why compliance with ISO 17100:2015 matters?

At Maven International, our translation project management conforms to ISO 17100:2015 standard for translation services. But what does that really mean to our clients?

Firstly, it’s important to note that not all your translations would require the meticulous procedures outlined by this standard. These translations are mostly needed when it comes to sensitive content which requires extra care in order to relay the information accurately into the target language, with due consideration to the linguistic and cultural nuances pertaining to the target content. Of course, it goes without saying that we treat all our projects with a level of commitment and professionalism that ensures that we always provide our clients with an optimal outcome. However, not all translation projects are made equal!

Translating a simple memo for the purpose of circulation within your organization, for instance, is not the same as translating technical safety manuals or marketing material. While both do require an accurate translation, the objective as well as the nature of the content would mean that you probably want to spend substantially less resources on the former in comparison to the latter. Some clients would opt for machine translation accompanied by human post-editing for some jobs, but such an option is completely out of the question in many cases, simply due to the technical means required to meet the desired end.

Conforming to the ISO 17100:2015 standard means many things to your translation project, some of which we list below:

  1. Higher-quality translations
  2. Timely delivery
  3. Accurate, consistent, and standardized terminology usage
  4. Dealing with qualified project managers and linguists
  5. A translation management system that coordinates the entire process
  6. A client portal where you can monitor the progress and provide feedback
  7. Stringent confidentiality measures
  8. Standardized quoting and invoicing policy
  9. Feedback system

The translators and reviewers assigned to your project are guaranteed to meet the following education, experience, and speciality requirements:

  • An academic certificate in translation or interpretation studies

or

  • An academic certificate from a linguistic university where certain translation-related courses were successfully completed

or

  • An unrelated academic certificate + 2 years of full-time translation experience
  • No academic background + 5 years of full-time translation experience

Do such qualifications guarantee a quality translation 100 % of the time? Not on their own, no. That’s where our expert project management and rigorous quality assurance measures, some of which are mentioned above, come into play. Opting for an ISO 17100:2015 compliant translation certainly has a direct influence on the quality of the end-product, and for that reason, you should definitely keep it in mind for your upcoming projects!