EN15038 is a quality standard developed especially for translation services providers. The EN15038 standard ensures the consistent quality of the service. It requires regular audits by the certification body, and if any discrepancy is found, the certification shall be revoked.

Many European Translation companies have long felt the need for a reliable method of demonstrating the quality of the services they provide to their customers. Many sought ISO 9001 certification as a demonstration of their commitment to quality management systems. However, as the ISO 9001 standard does not address the sort of translation-specific processes which many translators consider important in determining quality outcomes, this standard did not become widely accepted as a "guarantee of quality" in the industry. In 2006, a quality standard, specifically written for the translation industry, EN 15038, was published by CEN, the European Committee for Standardization

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...

. This was a serious attempt to provide certification of translation-specific quality management using independent, on-site audits by recognized certification bodies. This standard is gaining acceptance worldwide and the European Union has begun including it as a benchmark in its tender specifications.

Background

There have been a number of initiatives in Europe to create a universal quality standard that could benchmark the quality of the translation services and gain recognition through independent audit certification. This includes the Italian UNI 10574 Standard, the Austrian Önorm D 1200 and Önorm D 1201 Standards, the Dutch Taalmerk Standard and the German DIN 2345 Standard. In 1999 the EUATC (European Union of Associations of Translation Companies) saw the need for developing an industry specific quality standard. This initiative built on previous standards which had been established by some national associations of translation companies. This standard was the first European wide initiative. In 2003 the EUATC took this standard to the next level. They started working with CEN, the European standards body, in April 2003 with the aim of creating a certifiable quality process standard for translation. The public consultation period started in September 2004 and EN 15038 was published by May 2006. The EUATC is made up of national associations of translation companies throughout Europe and these national associations have been translating the standard into their own language and cooperating with their national standardisation bodies for publication and certification by independent third party auditors.

Scope and definitions

The area not covered by EN 15038 is the interpreting and service matrix. While the committee developing the standard recognised the value of including Interpretation within the scope of the standard, it was felt that managing interpreting quality would make developing the standard more difficult and it would extend the process.

Within the translation industry many words are used to describe different processes from one company to another. It is very important for anyone who intends to implement EN 15038 that they understand the meaning of the terms and definitions used in the standard. The standard also uses the terms ‘should’ and ‘shall’. When the word ‘shall’ is used, it is obligatory while ‘should’ is used for recommended.

The following are some of the terms which are defined in the standard:

• Translation Service Provider (TSP) – An organisation or person who supplies translation services. Also known as Language Service Provider (LSP).
• Added value service – Services which can be provided by a TSP in addition to translation.
• Competence – Demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skill
• Interpreting – Rendering of spoken information in the source language into the target language in spoken form.
• Translation – Rendering of written text in the source language into the target language.
• Translator – Person who translates.
• Source text – The original text. The text which is being translated.
• Target text – The translated text.
• Locale – The linguistic, cultural, technical and geographical conventions of the target audience
• Revise – Examine a translation for its suitability for the agreed purpose, compare the source and target texts, and recommend corrective measures.
• Reviser – Person who revises.
• Review – Examine a target text for its suitability for the agreed purpose and respect for the conventions of the domain to which its belongs and recommend corrective measures.
• Reviewer – Person who reviews.
• Proofreading – Checking of proofs before publication.

Main provisions

The EN 15038 standard set out the:

• Basic requirements for the human resources and process used in the provision of translation services
• Client – TSP relationship
• Procedures for translation services

The appendices provide additional information on project registration, technical pre-translation process, source text analysis, style guides and a non exhaustive list of added value services.

Basic requirements for the human resources and process used

This section outlines the level of competence required by translators and others working on the project, the need for the right technology and communication equipment and the need for a documented quality management system.

Client – TSP relation

The standard sets out steps in the Client – TSP relationship. These include:

• Enquiry & feasibility
• Quotation
• Client – TSP agreement
• Handling of project related client information
• Project conclusion

Procedures in translation services

This section of the standard is divided in three subsections which deal with Project Management, Preparation and Translation.

The standard states the TSP shall have documented procedures in place for handling translation projects, contact with the client, quality assurance and compliance with the client – TSP agreement.

The sub-section on preparation deals with project registration, project assignment, technical resources, pre-translating process, source text analysis, terminology work and the style guide.

The standard specifies the following steps in the translation process: translation, checking, revision, review, proofreading and final verification.

Added value services

If a TSP offers any added value service, it should make every effort to apply the same level of quality to those services as to the services covered by the standard.

National standards

The EN 15038 is published as the following national standards.

• PKN EN 15038 Poland
• BS EN 15038 Great Britain
• DIN EN 15038 German
• NF X50-670 France
• OENORM EN 15038 Austria
• SN EN 15038 Switzerland
• UNE-EN 15038 Spain
• SFS EN 15038 Finland
• UNI EN 15038 Italy
• EVS-EN 15038 Estonia
• MSZ EN 15038 Hungary
• SS-EN 15038:2006 Sweden
• SR-EN 15038 Romania

EN 15038 and ISO 9001

EN 15038 standard does not only introduce requirements for compliance with certain common procedures, as is the case with ISO 9001

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...

, but monitors the processes especially developed for the overall execution of the translation – from acceptance of the order to its delivery. Also, EN15038 certifies the translation service and not the process management as is the case with ISO 9001.

External links

• CEN – European Committee for Standardization
• Using EN 15038:2006 as an assessment tool
• Do We Really Need Translation Standards After All? A Comparison of US and European Standards for Translation Services - Translation Journal, 2007