ISO 18587 certification

Become a certified translation service provider with ISO 18587 certification

Machine-generated translations (MT) save agencies and companies a lot of time. But even these still need to be processed. In order to guarantee a high level of quality, a translation agency can use the ISO 18587 standard certified. This creates transparency for customers and a competitive advantage.

The quality of artificial intelligence is improving all the time. Google Translate and DeepL have long since arrived in private households and companies. As a translation agency, you use professional tools to process texts automatically. But a text that comes out of the computer can rarely be presented to the customer. You will always have to submit the translation for post-editing.

The DIN EN ISO 18587 certification increases the efficiency of machine translation (MT) processes and confirms your expertise as a translation service provider.

Posting needs proof of quality

Today, the quality of the post-editing of texts accounts for a large part of the value of a translation. The computer provides the foundation, but it is the knowledge and experience of trained employees that turn it into a high-quality translation. The process behind this work is often invisible to the customer. They see the finished product and have to trust you that the translation will meet the highest standards.

The DIN ISO 17000 describes the processes in a translation agency in general terms, but explicitly excludes post-editing. So even if you ISO 17000 certified This is not yet a benchmark for services based on machine translations. This is where the DIN EN ISO 18587 as an explicit standard for post-editing machine translations (MT/MT).

What is the ISO 18587 standard?

It sets the same standards worldwide Standards for posting of computer-generated translations. It consists of three core processes:

• Project preparation
• Production process
• Project post-processing

These individual chapters are subdivided into further very practical stages. While the requirements for project preparation follow other ISO standards, the production process is very much adapted to machine translation. The focus here is on

• What goals do you pursue when posting?
• What are the requirements for post-editing a machine translation?
• What requirements are placed on the processor?

With the answers to these questions, the ISO 18587 guarantee, that even with a high throughput the Quality of posting is consistent. This is only possible through organised processes that are defined by the standard.

What happens during ISO 18587 certification?

During certification, we look at two criteria: the actual posting process and the existing competences.

• The Production process is divided into the preparation, the actual processing and the follow-up.
• With the Expertise is about the general qualifications of the LSP, the technical qualifications of the translators and the professionalism of the service.

With a ISO 18587 certification The focus is therefore not on the translations or adaptations themselves, but on the Procedure and the Workflow. During the assessment, we analyse the following processes, for example:

• Check whether or not the content of the source language is suitable for MT/MT and subsequent post-editing.
• Inspection of the end product with regard to the specifications before delivery to the customer.
• Feedback from post-editors on the performance of the MT system.
• Are competences for posting described in the supplier database?
• Is there an assignment of workflows and project management?
• How is feedback communicated?
• Testing text documents for suitability for machine translation

During the certification process, all necessary procedures are analysed and documented. We then check whether these fulfil the requirements of the ISO standard. If this is the case, we can issue you with a certificate.

Project management under the magnifying glass

In order to assess how the post-editing process works, we look at project management during the certification audit. For the ISO 18587 Certificate the following aspects are of particular importance:

• Determination of the most important requirements and project specifications during the pre-production process
• Follow procedures and specifications throughout production
• Supervision and monitoring of the preparation process for the translation project
• Assignment of one or more competent translators to the translation project
• Assignment of one or more competent auditors
• Dissemination of information, issuing of instructions in connection with the order
• Monitoring to ensure compliance with the agreed schedule and deadlines
• Notification of changes to the project specifications if necessary
• Ensure that translations and other questions are answered
• Managing and processing feedback
• Verification that the translation service specifications have been met before the translation is approved and released to the client.

Why does an LSP need ISO DIN 18587 certification?

If you as a translation agency or as a freelance translator ISO 18578 certification you have a clear competitive advantage. You can prove to your customers that your work complies with international quality standards and that this has been verified.

The main reasons for a ISO DIN 18587 certification are:

• Competitive advantages
• Proof of quality
• Transparency towards customers
• Improved internal processes

You stand out from competitors who only have internal processes for posting. You can therefore increase your value as an LSP. At the same time, you also position yourself as a modern, state-of-the-art translation service provider. This is because the certificate means that you use high-tech and artificial intelligence.

Certified and systematic sales growth!

With a ISO 18587 certificate, preferably combined with the ISO 17000 can they advertise that they are able to deliver large volumes of translations quickly and to a high quality.

You also have advantages for the way you work. Because if you comply with the ISO standard, you have optimised your processes and workflows accordingly and can work more efficiently. This saves you time and money.

Large companies demand international standards

Many large and international companies put translation jobs out to public tender. They rely on LSPs who can translate large volumes of documents using machine translation. Time is just as important a factor here as objective proof of qualification.

Certification gives you a big head start in the tendering process: The standard DIN EN ISO 18587 is an internationally recognised standard for the certification of LSPs for machine translation (MT) and post-editing.

Rapid and professional certification

We see it as our task to certify your service quickly and efficiently. As a recognised Swiss certification body for language services, We follow the guidelines of international audits for the ISO standard. As part of the certification process, we sit down with you and analyse the existing processes and procedures. If we identify minor deviations from the ISO regulations, these can also be rectified. This part of the audit is then repeated before certification.

If the certification has been passed, you will receive an official certificate from us. This certificate states what has been certified, the certification number, the date and the period of validity. You can then advertise with this certificate and a corresponding logo on your website and in brochures. 

Don't wait for your competitors to be audited and start the process today. We will be happy to advise you on which requirements must be met and how the audit works in detail.

You can reach us by telephone on +41 44 552 66 19 or send us an e-mail. E-mail to Mr Markus Kukla, Head of the certification body. We look forward to hearing from you!

ISO 18587 certification is also offered by LinquaCert in combination with audits in accordance with ISO 9001 and/or ISO 17100 performed.

Where can I find more detailed information about DIN EN ISO 17100 and DIN EN ISO 9001?

In contrast to DIN EN ISO 9001 the ISO 18587 does not claim to represent a complete management system. A comparison of the degree of coverage of DIN EN ISO 9001 and DIN EN ISO 18587 you will find in our eBook «ISO 1700 translation with a system».