What ISO 17100 Means for Translation Quality

When organisations procure translation services, they typically ask one question: are your translators qualified? In Australia, that usually means asking about NAATI certification. But individual translator qualifications are only half the picture. The other half — the one that's often overlooked — is the organisational quality system that governs how translation projects are managed, reviewed, and delivered.

That's where ISO 17100 comes in. It is the international standard for translation service providers, and it provides independent verification that an organisation has the processes, people, and systems needed to deliver translation work of consistent quality. This article explains what ISO 17100 covers, how it works in practice, and why it matters for organisations that rely on accurate multilingual communications.

What Is ISO 17100?

ISO 17100:2015 — Translation Services: Requirements for Translation Services — is an international standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). It specifies requirements for the core processes, resources, and other aspects necessary for the delivery of quality translation services that meet applicable specifications.

In plain terms, ISO 17100 defines what a professional translation service provider must have in place to deliver work reliably and consistently. It covers the entire translation workflow, from initial client engagement through to final delivery and feedback.

An organisation certified to ISO 17100 has been independently audited by an accredited certification body and found to meet the standard's requirements. This certification is not self-declared — it requires regular external audits to maintain.

What ISO 17100 Covers

The standard addresses several key areas:

Translator qualifications. ISO 17100 requires that translators meet defined competence requirements. They must hold a relevant qualification in translation, or have an equivalent level of experience and demonstrated competence. In the Australian context, NAATI certification is a primary way to demonstrate this. The standard also requires that translators work into their native language and have subject-matter knowledge relevant to the content they translate.

The translation process. The standard mandates a structured workflow that includes project analysis and preparation, translation by a qualified translator, checking by the translator (self-review), revision by a second qualified linguist (a separate person from the translator), proofreading (where specified), and final verification before delivery. The requirement for independent revision — a second linguist reviewing the translation against the source text — is one of the most important elements. It provides a systematic check on accuracy, terminology, and style that single-translator workflows cannot offer.

Project management. ISO 17100 requires that translation projects are managed by competent project managers who oversee the entire process, from client briefing to delivery. This includes ensuring translators are appropriately matched to each project, managing timelines and resources, handling client communications, and maintaining quality records.

Technology and resources. The standard requires that translation providers have appropriate technology and reference materials available to support consistent quality. This includes translation memory tools, terminology management systems, and quality assurance software.

Client communication and feedback. ISO 17100 includes requirements around how providers communicate with clients, handle queries and complaints, and incorporate feedback into their quality management system.

ISO 17100 vs. NAATI Certification

A common point of confusion is the relationship between ISO 17100 and NAATI certification. They are complementary, not interchangeable.

NAATI certification is an individual credential. It verifies that a specific translator or interpreter has demonstrated the skills required to practise at a defined competence level. NAATI tells you that the person doing the translation is qualified.

ISO 17100 is an organisational certification. It verifies that the translation service provider — the company managing the project — has quality systems in place to deliver translation work consistently. ISO 17100 tells you that the organisation managing the process is reliable.

The strongest quality assurance comes from combining both: NAATI-certified translators working within an ISO 17100-certified quality management system. The translator brings language skill and subject expertise; the organisation brings process rigour, independent review, and systematic quality control.

Why ISO 17100 Matters for Clients

For organisations that commission translation — particularly in government, health, legal, and corporate contexts — ISO 17100 matters for several practical reasons:

Consistency. Without a defined quality system, translation quality depends entirely on which individual translator is assigned to a project on a given day. ISO 17100 ensures that every project, regardless of translator, follows the same quality workflow. This is particularly important for organisations that produce large volumes of multilingual content across many languages and projects.

Risk reduction. In high-stakes contexts — health information, legal documents, government communications — translation errors can have serious consequences. The independent revision requirement in ISO 17100 provides a systematic check that catches errors before they reach the end user.

Procurement confidence. For government agencies and large organisations, ISO 17100 certification provides an objective, verifiable benchmark for evaluating translation providers. It removes the need to rely solely on self-reported quality claims.

Continuous improvement. ISO 17100 certification requires organisations to maintain and improve their quality systems over time. Certified providers undergo regular external audits, which means the quality system is continuously reviewed and updated.

How to Verify ISO 17100 Certification

If a translation provider claims to be ISO 17100 certified, you should ask to see their certificate. A genuine certificate will identify the certification body (the organisation that conducted the audit), the scope of certification (which services and languages are covered), and the certificate's validity dates.

You can also verify the certification by contacting the issuing certification body directly. Be cautious of providers that claim to follow ISO 17100 processes without holding actual certification — the standard specifically requires independent external audit for certification to be valid.

How LEXIGO's ISO 17100 Certification Works in Practice

At LEXIGO, our ISO 17100 certification governs every translation project we deliver. In practice, this means every project is matched to NAATI-certified translators with relevant subject-matter expertise and the appropriate language pair. Every translation undergoes independent revision by a second qualified linguist before delivery. Our project managers oversee the end-to-end workflow, from brief to delivery to feedback. We maintain translation memories and termbases that ensure terminological consistency across projects, and our quality management system is regularly audited by an accredited external certification body.

For our clients, this means they can be confident that the same quality standard applies whether they're ordering a single document translation or managing a multilingual campaign across dozens of languages.

Get in touch with the LEXIGO team to learn more about how our ISO 17100-certified processes support your translation needs.