By Niyati Jain

We can term quality as the totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bears its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs. When we talk about translation with respect to quality, it could be put as the success of translation in accurately capturing and conveying the information and the intent of the source document. The quality and accuracy of translation quality become vital in domains such as IP, medical, legal, accounting, and technical documentation, where inefficient translations could cause major losses. 

The presence of these standards has been formulated in order to help translators put their best foot forward while helping their clients out. We can categorize these standards into two broad categories:

•Process-oriented          

•Metrics- oriented

Quality standards make sure that we meet the expected client requirements and maintain the consistency of the products. However, these standards comprise of some parameters which the goods/service providers need to adhere to.

If we try to look at it from our client's perspective, it's pretty helpful since it makes it way easier for the businesses seeking a translation service to choose between competing agencies. The service providers who have better quality standards sure shot get an edge over the average ones. Not only does the quality standard certification indicate the efficiency of our deliverables but it also helps the clients get a better understanding of the variation in prices between the service providers in the market.

Getting to the bottom of the specifications of the required project that are asked of the translators to meet each and every quality standard, they help in identifying the quality focus that translation services have while meeting different quality standards. 

Not only this, but quality standards also help the clients comprehend all sorts of doubts and queries they need to put forward before hiring a translation agency.

We also can't deny that it is a subjective concept and may differ from one person to another considering their personal perceptions on quality. So, it's only normal to expect a slight variation in the quality standards of every service provider. Therefore, the need for and purpose of quality standards are vital. Quality standards, such as ISO 9001, serve as a structure for businesses. Clearly defined standards make it easier for companies to meet what “quality” is considered by their consumers and subsequently, the overall vision of the company’s work is also improved. 

Also, we must note that the quality standards are only meant to serve as a framework and are no source of legal foundation, neither to the client nor to the translator.

There's no room for improvement without measurement and it is only when Companies live by this statement that they become more efficient and deliver the required quality. Their main agenda is to generate statistics and act upon the data. For that, standards and metrics need to be implemented in translation workflows and technologies, streamline, automate and collect data in a normalized fashion.

However, we must also consider that the following of translation service standards does not necessarily guarantee high-quality translations. In order to get the best of the translation quality, it becomes important to focus on the long term development of the translators you work with which includes providing feedback and continuously improving the translation process to catalyze the development of the long-term professional relationship.