Translation agencies which implement ISO17100:2015 standards?
Thread poster: Paul Denlinger
Paul Denlinger
Paul Denlinger  Identity Verified
United States
Chinese to English
Feb 18, 2016

Is there a way to find out which translation agencies implement, or are going to implement, ISO17100:2015 standards for translation agencies?

I would like to know which implement these standards.

Thank you.


 
Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz
Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz  Identity Verified
Poland
Local time: 17:01
English to Polish
+ ...
Website Feb 18, 2016

Paul Denlinger wrote:

Is there a way to find out which translation agencies implement, or are going to implement, ISO17100:2015 standards for translation agencies?

I would like to know which implement these standards.

Thank you.


Anyone who implements one of those is going to put the glory badge on the company website. Once you see it, you know not to work with them.

Or else you're going to be submitting a small boatload of paperwork with every flippin' job, complete with an entirely voluntary statement to the effect that they own you and your firstborn.

Well, no, not really, but you get my point.


 
Suzanne Smart (X)
Suzanne Smart (X)  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:01
Italian to English
+ ...
Where's the like button on here? Feb 19, 2016

Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz wrote:

Anyone who implements one of those is going to put the glory badge on the company website. Once you see it, you know not to work with them.

Or else you're going to be submitting a small boatload of paperwork with every flippin' job, complete with an entirely voluntary statement to the effect that they own you and your firstborn.

Well, no, not really, but you get my point.




I agree - if they're certified, they'll be advertising it to potential clients.


 
Jo Macdonald
Jo Macdonald  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 17:01
Member (2005)
Italian to English
+ ...
ISO 17100 requirements Feb 19, 2016

A few days ago a good agency I'd worked with in the past contacted me with a small translation of about 150 words. They had no problem with a rates increase or minimum fee.

Apart from the info they had from when we'd worked together in the past, before starting work they asked me to sign their NDA and then register on their new online system
At this point I tried to refuse the job because I really don't like these systems and consider them to be a way to use technology to comp
... See more
A few days ago a good agency I'd worked with in the past contacted me with a small translation of about 150 words. They had no problem with a rates increase or minimum fee.

Apart from the info they had from when we'd worked together in the past, before starting work they asked me to sign their NDA and then register on their new online system
At this point I tried to refuse the job because I really don't like these systems and consider them to be a way to use technology to complicate work instead of streamlining it, but I finally ended up letting them persuade me to continue.

Something else came up which I've seen recently from one other agency, and perhaps new legislation has been passed about splitting bank fees because both agencies mentioned this. I replied that I only follow standard payment practices "I pay my fees, you pay yours" which was OK with the agency I'd worked with before, while the other kept trying to convince me to pay their bank fees.
Clearing this up obviously takes time too.

Anyway, after taking about 20 minutes to do the translation and about one hour to register online and clear up payment practice, the next day there was more paperwork and I was asked to send the following to meet ISO 17100 requirements:
- CV
- certificate of higher education
- CFR (Certificate of Fiscal Residence)

- NDA and CV I'd consider normal
- Online web system, unfortunately more and more agencies are using them, can't stand 'em myself but ...
- New 17100 requirements, looks like school certificates and CFR, which you can get online. My accountant sent me mine in about 5 minutes. Next time I already have a pdf of this certificate to send.

So all in all I'd say no big deal if there's a decent job at the end of the tunnel, not worth the time for a quickie.

How I miss the days when people would just send you a doc to translate.
Seriously considering increasing my minimum fee to 50 quid.
Collapse


 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 17:01
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
It pays to have these things ready Feb 19, 2016

Jo Macdonald wrote:
I was asked to send the following to meet ISO 17100 requirements:
- CV
- certificate of higher education
- CFR (Certificate of Fiscal Residence) ...


Yes, there are some things that you can expect more particular clients to ask for, and it is a good idea to have those things ready and available whenever clients ask for it. It does take a bit of preparation time, though.

For example, when I update my CV, I have to update 6 versions of it (three in A4 and three in Letter, and for three different subject areas), but once that's done, I can send my CV within just a minute to anyone asking for it. As for my diplomas etc, I have them scanned in and saved as JPG already, so it's no trouble sending them if anyone asks for it. The same applies to my ID card -- scanned, anonymised, and ready. For signing contracts, I made a transparent PNG of my signature and added it to my PDF program as a "rubber stamp", and my PDF program allows me to type text into a PDF in "typewriter" style, so signing a contract (and printing it to uneditable PDF) is easy.

Two weeks ago, a client requested ISO something something information of me, and it was relatively painless. I had to submit my CV, my diploma, and a signed NDA that had ISO specific wording in it. The NDA's terms were extremely reasonable. Not all agencies want you to sign your life away, and the ISO thingimajig does not necessarily require it.


 
Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz
Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz  Identity Verified
Poland
Local time: 17:01
English to Polish
+ ...
Give them choice Feb 20, 2016

Jo Macdonald wrote:

How I miss the days when people would just send you a doc to translate.
Seriously considering increasing my minimum fee to 50 quid.


People like choice, even if it's only an illusion of one. How about making it so they're going to either send you a .doc or pay an administrative fee?

I'll need to blawg a bit on that one and perhaps make an association or two publishing something. So far those absurd laundry lists of documents cum proprietary (or not) online systems or even custom CAT tools have been an 'innovation' fresh enough it could also pass for a rarity, which it no longer really is. As it's no longer just one or two freeriders per year that you're better off forgetting than thinking about, now it's time to call a halt to the freeriding and write a bill for all the additional time consumed. Once they realize it's going to look like thirty quid translation and seventy quid admin out of every hundred, I'm pretty sure they're going to come up with something. Just as long as they're shown clearly that making you eat their own admin costs isn't an option.


 


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Translation agencies which implement ISO17100:2015 standards?







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