Frequently Asked Questions about European Translation Standards
Frequently Asked Questions about European Translation Standards
Why, why why? More fool to those who don’t ask…
Nowadays, the need for professional and linguistically correct translations is self-evident. But how a customer be convinced of the quality of a translation they cannot verify in detail? You’ll find all the answers to your questions about European norms and standards applicable to any translation.
DIN EN 15038 was published in May 2006. It is a norm for translation services providers. It is concerned with ‘the core translation process as well as the other aspects necessary for delivering the service, including quality assurance and the traceability of the product’. In short, the most important parts of this standard are also definitive in the translation process. According to the standard the actual translation consists of many phases, and quality can only be assured by proofreading carried out by a person other than the translator. The standard also includes the specification of the professional competencies of each person involved in the translation process, mainly translators, proofreaders and technical reviewers.
EN 15038 was published in 2006. Standards are reviewed at regular five-year intervals. DIN EN ISO 17100 is an international quality standard for translation service providers. In 2015, it replaced European standard DIN EN 15038, which had been in place since 2006. ISO 17100 is structure so as to focus on the procedures of the common translation process. Important: ISO 17100 still contains a duty to perform revision under the ‘four eyes principle’ also known as the ‘dual control principle’. However, performing a technical examination remains optional. The translation service provider must ensure that their is a final review of the translation project prior to delivery.
The European standard for translation service providers EN 15038, came into power on 1st August 2006, replacing DIN 2345 in Germany. In the section named ‘Agreement between the customer and the translation service provider’ it mentions the service specification contained in the agreement between the two parties and required for the provision of the service. Clearly defined work instructions issued by the customer in the service specifications are of great importance for both parties to understand one another. The source text is the responsibility of the client and should represent an explicitly articulated template and be binding in all semantic respects. If the client doesn’t expressly state their wishes, it is not the translator’s job to intervene with the source text’s content. Ideally a translation mirrors the quality profile of the source text.
The text needs a detailed brief to avoid mistakes and inaccuracies. The client’s cooperation is necessary to ensure the translation adheres to their intentions for the text. The level of specification of an assignment or a service ranges from a simple clarification, to possible wishes for additions all the way to the additional task of revision or even the creation of an independent foreign language text according to content specifications.