If you are familiar with ISO, you will know it has two parts: the standards and the certification. The former involves setting guidelines and policies, while the latter can be described as a means through which businesses establish whether or not their operations comply with the set standards.
What is ISO?
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies founded in 1947. It is the largest developer of international standards that operates as an independent, not-for-profit organization.
The objectives of ISO are to promote the development of national and international standards, thereby enabling member states to facilitate their exchange to improve quality of service, safety and efficiency in the manufacture and sale of goods; and to encourage research into technological development by setting voluntary standards.
What is ISO 9001, 17100, And 27001, and What Do They Cover?
ISO 9001 covers the requirements for a quality management system, which is documented and implemented throughout an organization and can be consistently measured against predefined goals for internal processes and external customer satisfaction.
ISO 17100 covers translation services, including localization, adaptation, transcription and editing services; translation memory tools; terminology management tools; language engineering tools; translation software tools; machine-aided translation tools; user interfaces for translation tools; data format conversion; terminology banks for translation tools and terminology databases for translation service providers.
ISO 27001 is a quality management system standard. It applies to any organization that processes and stores the personal data of EU citizens. The standard has been developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and includes a list of requirements that help companies comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Organizations that have already implemented ISO 27001 have a head start in implementing GDPR because they already have a solid security framework.
What Are the Benefits Of 9001, 17100, And 27001 ISO Certifications?
The ISO certificates can help determine if the company is reliable and trustworthy. The benefits of 9001, 17100, and 27001 ISO certifications include:
- Holistic Management System Approach: These certificates show that the translation agency uses a holistic management system approach to ensure that all aspects of its operations follow industry best practices. This management system will help ensure that the translation agency provides high-quality services on time and within budget.
- Compliance with Quality International Standards: ISO 9001 covers quality assurance, while ISO 17100 covers sustainable development practices. This means that the company has demonstrated compliance with two international standards for business operations. This reflects its commitment to providing high-quality services and staying updated on industry trends.
- Security and Quality of Processes Demonstration: The company must meet security and quality requirements to receive these certificates. This shows that it has implemented various security measures to protect its employees and clients’ information from attack or misuse while ensuring that all processes are by the book. All in all, guard your information with ISO 27001, the gold standard for business information security.
How Can ISO Certificates Help Your Business?
ISO certification provides a competitive advantage in the market because it shows that your company has good quality management processes.
Some of the benefits include:
- Improving customer satisfaction through high-quality products and services, reducing complaints and improving your reputation with customers and stakeholders.
- Developing effective processes for managing your business, resources and people.
- Improving efficiency by reducing waste, increasing productivity and minimizing rework due to errors.
- Reducing costs by improving product quality as well as reducing warranty costs.
What Are the Requirements and Processes to Be ISO Certified?
Below is a brief overview of the requirements for obtaining an ISO certificate:
- The first step in the registration process is to send your request for registration directly to your national member association, which will forward it to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
- Next, you will receive an application form and instructions from the ISO on how to complete it. The application form is then filled and returned with all required documents before your organization can be considered for certification.
These documents include:
- A copy of your Quality Management System manual. This should include information on how your organization plans to implement its Quality Management System (QMS).
- A list of all staff members who will be involved in auditing and certifying your QMS. This list should include their names, job titles, positions within the company and years of experience in this field of work.
- A summary report that describes how you plan to use ISO as part of your business strategy moving forward.
Translation Services with ISO 17100 and 27001 Certified Company
Hiring a professional and ISO certified translation company like Contentech guarantees that your documents will be delivered swiftly and accurately.
Being ISO 17100 and ISO 27001certified demonstrates that:
- All our processes, procedures and policies meet the highest international standards and best practice for the language services.
- We are using sophisticated, cutting-edge translation tools and technologies.
- We have a fully traceable system, where case files are entirely backed up and retrievable to ensure its availability.
- We manage all our client requests with almost ZERO margin for error or customer complaints.
- Your data is fully secured by implementing an Information Security Management System (ISMS) for protecting sensitive data, along with a set of generally accepted good practice security controls.
- We follow strict procedures for onboarding our professional linguists (Translators – Revisers – Reviewers – Proofreaders, etc.) who must have a degree and professional experience in their area of expertise.
