ISO 17100 Translation Services Management System Certification

Language is the foundation of cross-cultural communication and an unavoidable part of how global business operates. Organisations translate contracts, technical manuals, product packaging, websites, and ongoing customer communications across multiple languages. ISO 17100 is the international standard that covers the translation services needed to do that work to a defined quality level.

Sistem Patent Kalite supports language service providers and corporate translation teams that want to build or formalise an ISO 17100 management system. This page sets out what the standard covers and how we work with clients on the certification project.

What is the ISO 17100 Translation Services Management System Certification?

ISO 17100 sets out requirements for the core processes, resources, and other aspects of a professional translation service. It covers the organisation's handling of projects from source text analysis through translation, revision by a second qualified linguist, review, proofreading, and final verification before delivery. The standard defines the minimum qualifications and experience required of translators, revisers, reviewers, and project managers.

How Sistem Patent Kalite Supports Translation Service Providers

Sistem Patent Kalite works alongside the client's project managers and senior linguists to align their working practice with the ISO 17100 requirements. We help with the following:

• Defining translation processes: we shape the documented workflows so that they reflect how projects actually flow through the office, not a generic template.
• Quality control: we structure the revision, review, and proofreading steps that ISO 17100 requires, and define the acceptance criteria for each one.
• Linguist qualifications and competence: we help document the CV, training, and sample evaluation records that prove each translator and reviser meets the standard.
• Continuous training: we shape the ongoing professional development programme that keeps translators current with subject matter, tools, and terminology.

Core Elements of the Standard

ISO 17100 structures the management system around the following:

• Translation processes: defined steps for translation, revision, review, and proofreading with clear quality controls at each step.
• Linguist competence: documented assessment of each translator's and reviser's language skills and subject matter expertise.
• Quality control: measures that protect the quality of every deliverable, including terminology consistency, style-guide adherence, and final verification.
• Client communication: defined processes for brief-taking, questions during translation, delivery, and feedback handling.

Running the Certification Project

Most translation providers already work to an internal quality process. The ISO 17100 project converts that internal practice into an auditable management system that a corporate client or government tender can verify. Our team scopes the gap against the standard, drafts the procedures, runs an internal audit, and prepares the organisation for the Stage 1 and Stage 2 certification audits.

Why Translation Providers Choose Us

• Experience: Sistem Patent Kalite has supported management system certification projects in service-sector operations since 1999.
• Specialist knowledge: the team keeps current with ISO 17100 and with the wider ISO 9001 framework that most language service providers also operate under.
• Client focus: we adapt the documented system to the client's specialisation, file flow, and CAT tool environment.
• Reasonable pricing: we scope the project at the outset so the client knows the deliverables and the timeline.

An ISO 17100 certificate is a credible signal to corporate buyers, government tenders, and multilingual publishers that the translation service is delivered under a recognised management framework. To discuss a new certification project or the transition from an existing quality system, contact Sistem Patent Kalite for a scoped proposal.