European quality standard EN-15038:2006

EN-15038:2006 is a specific European standard for translation services which covers the core translation process and all other related aspects involved in providing the service, including quality assurance and traceability. This standard offers both translation service providers and their clients a description and definition of the entire service. At the same time it is designed to provide translation service providers with a set of procedures and requirements to meet market needs.

EN-15038 was approved by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) on April 13, 2006 and was officially published in May 2006. CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy (UNI-EN-15038:2006), Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain (UNE-EN:15038:2006), Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom (BS-EN-15038:2006).

Broadly speaking, the standard’s most outstanding features are firstly, that it defines the translation process where quality is guaranteed not by the translation which is just one phase in the process, but by the fact of the translation being reviewed by a person other than the translator and secondly, it specifies the professional competences of each of the participants in the translation process, mainly translators, reviewers, revisers and proofreaders.

Any translation service under EN-15038 must include as a minimum, translation and review.

* Translation and checking. A translator with the appropriate competences translates the documents and after finalizing the initial translation, checks his/her own work.
* Review. A person other than the translator reviews the translation. The standard defines review as “examining a translation for its suitability for the agreed purpose, and respect for the conventions of the domain to which it belongs and recommending corrective measures”.

Translators who take part in translation projects under EN-15038:2006 must demonstrate the professional competences specified in the standard by meeting at least one of the three requirements.

* Advanced translation studies (recognized qualification)
* Equivalent qualification in another specialization plus a minimum of two years documented experience in translation.
* At least five years of documented professional experience in translation.

In addition to complying with one of the above three requirements, reviewers must have translation experience of the subject in question.

The client may also contract other services as part of the translation process such as revision, proofreading, also contemplated in the standard and other added value services such as sworn translation, terminology database creation and management, desktop publishing, etc.

Workflow and Service Level – Link Translation

1. Receipt of translation or quotation request from prospective client, or customer

This stage involves the examination of the request, the assessment of the technical feasibility of the project, also taking into account the deadline requested, and of course drawing-up the quote. At this stage we only contact the prospective client our customer if a specific requirement is not clear, or if we need additional information, e.g. on the availability of glossaries. In general, we will be able to make a precise estimate without needing further information.

2. Acceptance of our quote, acceptance of the translation assignment

This is when the real work can begin. We assign an in-house translator or outside colleague to your project. It goes without saying that the translator will always be a native speaker with experience in your technical field and/or affinity with the subject matter. Additionally, any special technical or other resources that might be required are gathered, set-up, or possibly purchased.

3. Compilation of multilingual terminology list

This terminological database is primarily destined for internal use, to ensure the consistency of technical terms within the translated document(s), as well as in future translation projects. At this stage we may ask the customer to validate some terms that will be used in the target document. Work on the terminological level is mostly carried out in parallel with the actual translation. This is the process that ensures compliance with our quality criterion of terminological consistency.
Many customers also ask us to leverage terminology from previously translated documents, online sources, printed manuals or brochures, etc. In so far as this terminology extraction or alignment work is justified given the value of the assignment, this is carried out at no extra charge. We can however also provide terminology extraction, multilingual database compilation, alignment, and technical terminology management services independently of translation jobs.

4. First spell checking and “revision”

Spell checking is an easy, but all-important step in any serious translation process. After spell checking, the translated document is now ready for the so-called “revision” (as defined in § 5.3.4. of the European draft standard prEN-15038). The translator revises his work, i.e. compares the source and target texts, checks the consistency of the technical terms used, checks the register of language, and addresses style issues. This is the process that ensures compliance with our quality criterion of accuracy.

5. “Review” by a second translator and final spell checking

After the revision round, during which all specific translation and language issues are resolved, the text is passed on to another translator, who performs a “review” (as defined in § 5.3.5. of the European draft standard prEN-15038). This quality control step involves a monolingual review aimed at correcting errors, typos, or technical issues that the translator might have overlooked. The reviewer will also focus in particular on the legibility, and fluidity of the translation, so that it reads like a native text rather than like a translation. The review is normally carried out without the original document, and is followed by a final spell check after all corrections have been entered into the text. This process is mainly concerned with ensuring compliance with our quality criterion of legibility.

6. Delivery of the translated documents

After a final check to ensure all documents, text elements, text-in-figures, etc. have been translated and are adequately formatted, the translation is now ready to be sent to the customer.

7. Archiving the source and target documents

The source and target texts are archived for future reference, together with the glossaries of technical terms compiled during the translation process. That way we are well (and always better) prepared for your next assignment.

Please feel free to contact us with any question related to our quality control!