International standards of quality management and translation services
At Otago, we are committed to providing our clients with first-class service and providing top translation and interpreting services – and so we have become a certified language service provider in compliance with the translation standard ISO 17100 and the quality management standard ISO 9001.
Proven work processes
An integral part of our work is to follow the best practices in the translation industry. Two international standards help us achieve that: ISO 9001 on quality management and ISO 17100 on translation services.
Our long-term goal was to have our course and service level confirmed by a reputable auditing company. We have successfully passed the certification audit for both standards in February 2023. Our choice of the auditing company was clear – TÜV SÜD Slovakia offers a guarantee of objectivity and strict assessment.
Our ISO certificate is valid for 3 years, but TÜV SÜD Slovakia audit our processes every year. During the first and any subsequent audits, the auditor can check anything they deem appropriate: how we proceed before confirming an order, how we make decision in the process, and how we choose the most competent person for a translation project, i.e. meeting the requirements of ISO 17100.
What it translates into
- Thanks to the latest software, our clients can be sure that the files and data they entrust with us as well as translated texts are secured and safely archived.
- At Otago, we use the latest software solutions to work efficiently. They help us monitor the progress of a translation project and of individual linguists involved in it. We make use of translation management software and software for computer-assisted (and also machine) translation – CAT tools.
- All our translators, reviewers and proofreaders, as well as project managers, must meet the requirements for achieved education and professional experience and we may be asked to present the auditor with this documentation.
- These are the minimum requirements on linguists as defined in ISO 17100:
- university education in the field of translatology and adequate translation experience,
- university education in a any other field than translatology and at least 2 years of translation experience.
In addition, our linguists undergo tests to prove their knowledge of their native language and also other working languages, and during the course of our cooperation, we continuously monitor the quality of their output. Then, we hand-pick the most competent linguist, an expert in the specific field, of this verified pool for every assignment.
- A translation agency with the ISO 17100 certificate must ensure that each translation undergoes an independent quality check by a second linguist called revision. Both linguists meet strict selection criteria and primarily focus on the field of expertise at hand. The assignment of the translator vs. reviewer role is interchangeable and the result would always be a translation of the same quality.
For us, the successful completion of the audit is an appreciation of the quality of our processes, our focus on the client and their needs as well as our efforts to constantly improve our services and products.