ISO 17100 Compliance in Translation: What It Means for South Asian Language Services
ISO 17100 is the international standard for translation services, specifying requirements for all aspects of the translation process – from translator qualifications and project management to quality assurance and client communication. For organisations procuring South Asian language translation services, understanding what ISO 17100 compliance means is essential for selecting a qualified provider and ensuring translation quality.
Nepali Linguists is proud to operate in compliance with ISO 17100 standards, bringing international quality assurance to every South Asian language project we undertake.
What ISO 17100 Requires
ISO 17100:2015 establishes requirements for translation service providers across several key areas:
Translator Qualifications
The standard requires that translators meet specific minimum qualifications:
- A recognised degree in translation, linguistics, or a related field, plus two years of full-time professional translation experience; OR
- A recognised degree in any other field, plus five years of full-time professional translation experience
- Competency in the source language (typically verified through education, certification, or testing)
- Competency in the target language (native or near-native proficiency)
- Competency in the subject domain of the translation
For South Asian languages – where formal translation degrees are less common than for European languages – alternative qualification routes are often necessary. ISO 17100 allows for demonstrated competence through experience and testing, which is the approach we use for many of our South Asian language linguists.
The Translation Process
ISO 17100 specifies a structured translation workflow:
- Pre-production: Project brief, terminology research, reference material collection
- Production (translation): Transfer of source content to target language by a qualified translator
- Revision (check): Review of the translation against the source by a second qualified linguist (mandatory)
- Review (optional): Domain expert review for subject-matter accuracy
- Proofreading (optional): Final check of the target language before delivery
- Final verification and delivery: Quality check and delivery to client
- Clear project specifications and client briefs
- Documented procedures for handling queries and feedback
- Record-keeping for all projects
- Complaint handling procedures
- Confidentiality and data protection measures
- EN 15038: The predecessor to ISO 17100 (superseded)
- ASTM F2575: US standard for translation quality – less prescriptive than ISO 17100
- SAE J2450: Automotive industry translation quality metric
- LISA QA Model: Industry-developed quality assessment (no longer maintained)
Project Management and Client Communication
The standard requires:
Why ISO 17100 Matters for South Asian Language Translation
Quality Consistency Across Languages
ISO 17100 compliant processes ensure the same quality standards whether we are translating a legal contract into Nepali, a medical report into Hindi, or a marketing brochure into Tamil. Clients can expect consistent quality regardless of the South Asian language they need.
Accountability and Traceability
Every translation project is documented, from initial brief to final delivery. If there are questions about terminology, style, or accuracy, we can trace the translation back to the individual translator and reviser.
Risk Management
For high-stakes translations – legal documents, medical records, regulatory submissions, insurance claims – errors can have serious consequences. ISO 17100’s mandatory revision step catches errors before delivery, significantly reducing risk.
Professional Development
ISO 17100 requires ongoing professional development for translators, ensuring that our South Asian language linguists stay current with industry developments and continuously improve their skills.
How We Apply ISO 17100 to South Asian Languages
Linguist Qualification
For each South Asian language pair, we maintain a database of linguists with verified qualifications. Given the varying availability of formal translation education across South Asian languages, we use a combination of degree verification, translation testing, and experience assessment to qualify our linguists.
Mandatory Revision
Every translation project, regardless of language pair or document type, goes through mandatory revision by a second qualified linguist. This is the cornerstone of ISO 17100 quality assurance. For South Asian languages with smaller linguist pools (e.g., Malayalam, Kannada, Odia), we maintain multiple qualified revisers to ensure independent revision is always possible.
Domain-Specific Pairing
We match linguists to projects based on subject-matter expertise. A translator with medical domain experience handles medical records; a translator with legal training handles contracts. This domain pairing is applied across all South Asian languages.
Terminology Management
For ongoing projects, we create and maintain terminology databases (glossaries) to ensure consistency across all translated documents. This is particularly important for insurance claims, legal proceedings, and medical documentation where terminology consistency affects outcomes.
What ISO 17100 Compliance Means for Clients
| Client Concern | How ISO 17100 Addresses It |
|---|---|
| Translation accuracy | Mandatory revision by a second linguist catches errors before delivery |
| Translator qualifications | Only translators meeting minimum qualification standards are assigned |
| Domain expertise | Translators are matched to projects based on subject-matter knowledge |
| Consistency across projects | Standardised processes ensure consistent quality regardless of linguist or language |
| Confidentiality | Documented procedures for data protection and confidentiality |
| Complaint resolution | Formal procedures for addressing quality concerns |
| Accountability | Full project documentation and traceability |
ISO 17100 vs. Other Translation Quality Frameworks
While ISO 17100 is the leading international standard for translation services, there are other quality frameworks:
At Nepali Linguists, we follow ISO 17100 as our primary quality framework because it is the most comprehensive and widely recognised standard for translation services globally.
Conclusion
ISO 17100 compliance provides assurance that translation services meet international quality standards – from translator qualifications and process management to quality assurance and client communication. For organisations procuring South Asian language translation, working with an ISO 17100 compliant provider ensures consistent quality, accountability, and risk management across all language pairs.
Ready to discuss your project? Contact us at info@nepalilinguist.com or call +977 9841196811 to book a meeting.