Translation Quality Assessment: How to Check a Supplier's Quality Before You Hire Them
Every translation supplier promises quality, so translation quality assessment has to go further: check ISO 17100 certification, ask who translates and who revises, how numbers and terminology are checked and what happens when something goes wrong, then test the supplier on your own content. DEMA Solutions answers each question in writing.
Why "we guarantee quality" is not an answer
Quality is the word every supplier uses, and it is rarely defined. For a manufacturer it has a precise meaning: the right meaning, the right terms, correct numbers and units, a consistent result across documents and releases, and a file that is ready to use. A supplier that cannot explain how it controls each of these is asking you to trust it, not to check it.
What ISO 17100 tells you, and what it does not
ISO 17100 is the international standard for translation services. A certified supplier has been audited against requirements that matter:
- Qualified translators. Translators must meet defined qualifications and work into their native language.
- Revision by a second linguist. Every translation is revised against the source by a second qualified person before delivery.
- Defined project management. The process from request to delivery is documented and followed.
- Controlled use of technology. Tools and resources are part of a managed process.
Certification is a strong first filter. It does not tell you everything:
- whether the linguists know your subject and your products
- how your terminology is managed, and who owns the glossary and translation memory
- whether results stay consistent over time, when translators change
- how machine translation is used, and whether it is disclosed
Ask to see the certificate, the certifying body and the renewal date. Then ask the questions below.
The questions to ask a translation supplier
- Who translates, and who revises? Native speakers with experience in your field, and a second qualified linguist who checks the translation against the source.
- How are numbers, units, tags and terminology checked? Look for automated checks before the human revision, not only a final read.
- How is our terminology managed, and who owns it? An approved glossary applied on every job, owned by you and exportable. See how to keep terminology consistent across suppliers.
- Who owns the translation memory, and can we get it at any time? The answer should be “you do” and “yes, at no cost”. See who owns your translation memory.
- Are reused translations checked in high-risk content? Exact matches from a memory are usually trusted, but medical, safety-related or aligned content deserves a second look.
- How is machine translation used? Where, for which content, and with what level of post-editing. See when machine translation post-editing is good enough.
- Will the same linguists work on our products over time? Continuity is what keeps terminology and style consistent.
- What happens if something is wrong? A documented claims procedure: the issue is logged, the cause analysed, the translation corrected and the memory and glossary updated so it does not come back.
In our experience, the question buyers ask first is whether a second qualified linguist checks the translation against the source, and whether that check is really done. The other questions depend on the kind of translation you are buying:
- Machine translation only. Nobody checks the output. Ask how it is used, for which content, and whether your glossary and memory control it.
- Machine translation post-editing (MTPE). Ask for the level of post-editing, light or full, and who is responsible for the final text.
- Human translation with revision. Ask who the translator and the reviser are, and how their experience matches your subject.
A quote that does not say which of these you are getting is the first thing to clarify.
Red flags when choosing a translation supplier
Some answers should make you look elsewhere, or at least ask again:
- Price per word is the only number on the quote. No analysis against your translation memory means you may pay for content you already own.
- Nobody can tell you who revises. “Our team checks everything” is not the same as a named second linguist revising against the source.
- Vague answers on ownership. If the supplier cannot confirm in writing that your memory and glossary are yours and exportable, assume they are not.
- Machine translation that is not disclosed. Using it is fine. Not telling you where and how is not.
- No process for complaints. If the answer to “what happens when something is wrong” is “it won’t be”, there is no process.
- Only PDFs back, or only loose text. For manuals and catalogues, check that the supplier can return files in their layout. See multilingual desktop publishing.
Test the supplier on your own content
Questions tell you how a supplier works. A test tells you how it works on your documents.
- Use real content. A representative section of a manual, with technical terms, numbers and safety information, not a generic sample. See what makes technical manual translation different.
- Have your own expert review it. An engineer or an in-country distributor will spot terminology and meaning issues that a general reader will not.
- Check consistency, not only correctness. Give the same terms in two different documents and see whether they come back the same.
- Look at the file, not only the text. If the document has a layout, check that the delivered file is ready to use.
Every supplier says the same. Why should we believe you?
You should not believe any supplier on its word, including us. Ask for the certificate, ask the eight questions above and test us on your own content. What separates suppliers is not the promise, it is whether they can show how each part of quality is controlled, in writing, before you sign.
How DEMA Solutions answers these questions
- ISO 17100 certified, audited by CSI (certificate TRD21015) and renewed every year.
- Two linguists on every text: a native-speaker translator with experience in your subject, and a qualified reviser who checks the translation against the source. Revision is also available on its own for texts translated elsewhere: see review and revision.
- Automated checks for numbers, units, tags, glossary compliance and consistency run before the human revision, on every delivery.
- Controlled terminology: glossaries and style guides built for your content, applied in every language and every update.
- Reused translations checked twice where it matters: in medical and other highly sensitive projects, aligned memories that no translator has reviewed, software strings and any segment a linguist flags.
- A documented claims procedure, so a problem found once does not come back.
- Your translation memory is yours, exported at no cost whenever you ask.
The full process, in nine documented steps, is on our quality page. For how this works on manuals, catalogues and interface texts, see our technical translation page.
The best test of quality is the reaction of the people who use the documents every day. One machinery manufacturer we work with put it this way:
“We have been working with DEMA for a few years now on the translation of manuals: they are a great partner, professional, fast, and efficient. Our native-speaking dealers have also praised the quality and accuracy of the translations.”
Michela R. ยท FMB S.r.l. ยท Italy
Frequently asked questions
Translation quality assessment is the evaluation of a translation, or of a supplier's process, against defined criteria such as accuracy, terminology, consistency, numbers and formatting. For buyers, it means checking how a supplier controls quality before hiring them, and reviewing results on real content.
ISO 17100 is the international standard for translation services. It sets requirements for translator and reviser qualifications, revision by a second linguist, project management and the use of technology. Certified suppliers are audited, usually every year.
It is a strong first filter, but it does not show whether the linguists know your products, how your terminology is managed, or whether results stay consistent over time. Combine it with the right questions and a test on your own content. For the full list of questions, see how to choose a technical translation company.
Give them a representative section of your real documentation, have your own expert review it, check that the same terms come back the same in different documents, and check the delivered file, not only the text.
Follow a documented claims procedure: log the issue, analyse the cause with the linguists involved, correct the translation and update the translation memory and glossary so the same error does not happen again.
Check before you choose
If you are choosing a translation supplier, or reviewing the one you have, ask us the same questions. Tell us what you translate and we will answer them in writing, and translate a sample of your own content so you can judge the result.
How can we help?
Tell us what you need and we’ll get back to you with the solutions.