Why does translation quality still fail? In this talk, Ravi Kumar explains the main translation quality standards used around the world and what they mean for language professionals, especially in India. Run time is about 17 minutes 30 seconds. It is the second part of a longer presentation, recorded around 2017.
Summary of the talk
- A timeline of standards. Using a comparison table prepared by an American Translators Association member, he walks through DIN 2345 (Germany, 1998), the Austrian standard (2000), the Chinese standard (2004), ASTM F2575 (2006), EN 15038 (Europe, 2006), the Canadian standard (2008) and ISO 17100 (2015).
- Who each standard covers. Most apply to translation companies, and some to individual translators. None cover interpretation. Only the European and Canadian standards require certification and audit. The rest are guidelines.
- Voluntary, not law. No standard is legally mandatory for a translator. If you are not certified, you can still state that you follow a particular standard in your processes, but you cannot use a certification logo.
- What the standards focus on. Mainly the qualifications of the translator and the reviser or proofreader, and terminology management, rather than the text itself.
- The US project model. Three phases: specification (client and project manager agree terms), production (translation plus review by a second person) and post-production (client feedback and improvements).
- The LISA model. Developed with IT companies, it set penalties for linguistic and non-linguistic errors, and a translation was accepted at 90 percent accuracy or sent back for revision. LISA has since been dissolved.
- DIN 2345. Focuses on the source text: the type of text decides who translates it, followed by a contract, agreed formats, and checks of symbols, segments and proofreading.
- ISO 17100. Requires translation plus revision by a second qualified person, proof of competence, and active cooperation between client and translator, including clear terminology input.
- The challenge. There is no shared definition of quality across standards. Some look at text, some at errors, some at penalties.
- The Indian context. India has many languages and dialects, and awareness of standards among clients and translators is still low. As ISO adoption grows, market demand will push professionals to apply these standards, and international clients may ask about them.
More from Modlingua: rubric analysis and common writing errors and error control for writers and translators (Hindi).
By Ravi Kumar
