ISO 17100 is the international standard for translation services. It sets out requirements for the processes, resources, and competencies that a translation service provider must have in place to deliver quality translations. If you work in quality management, procurement, or auditing and your organisation uses external translation services, understanding ISO 17100 helps you evaluate those providers with confidence. And if you are an auditor looking to broaden your scope, this standard is worth knowing in detail.
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This article explains what ISO 17100 covers, how it is structured, what its core requirements are, and why it matters to anyone involved in managing or auditing translation services. It also touches on how ISO 17100 sits alongside broader quality management principles, particularly ISO 9001.
Background: Why a Standard for Translation Services?
Translation is not a simple commodity. A poorly translated contract, safety instruction, or technical specification can create serious legal, safety, or commercial problems. Yet for a long time, there was no widely adopted international standard that defined what a professional translation service actually needed to do.
ISO 17100 was published in 2015 to fill that gap. It replaced the European standard EN 15038, which had been the closest equivalent for organisations operating in Europe. ISO 17100 took the core ideas from EN 15038 and gave them global reach. A 2017 amendment updated the competence requirements for translators, reflecting changes in how professional qualifications are recognised internationally.
The standard applies to any organisation that provides translation services, whether that is a large language services company, a boutique specialist agency, or a freelance translator operating as a sole trader. It covers translation between human languages and explicitly excludes machine translation output unless that output is post-edited by a qualified human translator.
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The Scope and What It Does Not Cover
ISO 17100 covers the full translation production process from the point at which a client enquiry is received through to delivery and post-delivery activities. It addresses the human resources involved, the tools and infrastructure required, the pre-production steps, the production workflow, and the post-production obligations.
It does not cover interpreting services. It does not address terminology management as a standalone function. It does not cover localisation activities beyond the translation itself, such as desktop publishing, software localisation engineering, or multimedia adaptation. Those activities may be governed by other standards or by contractual requirements.
For auditors, understanding the scope boundary is important. When you audit against ISO 17100, you are auditing the translation workflow and the people who perform it. You are not auditing the organisation's broader business management system unless that is also in scope.
How ISO 17100 Is Structured
ISO 17100 does not follow the Harmonised Structure used by management system standards like ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001. It has its own clause structure, which reflects the nature of translation as a service rather than a generic management system. The main sections are:
- Clause 1: Scope
- Clause 2: Normative references
- Clause 3: Terms and definitions
- Clause 4: Resources, including human resources and technical resources
- Clause 5: Pre-production
- Clause 6: Production
- Clause 7: Post-production
- Clause 8: Added value services
- Annexes covering agreements, project registration, and translation technology
This structure follows the logical sequence of a translation project. Resources must be in place before any project begins. Pre-production covers everything from receiving the enquiry to agreeing on the project scope. Production covers the actual translation, checking, revision, and verification steps. Post-production covers feedback, archiving, and data protection.
For auditors familiar with ISO 9001 or other management system standards, this process-based structure will feel familiar even though the clause numbering is different. You are essentially auditing a service delivery process from end to end. The article ISO 17100 vs ISO 9001: How the Translation Standard Fits Alongside Quality Management explores this relationship in more detail.
Clause 4: Resources
Human Resources
This is one of the most demanding sections of ISO 17100. The standard sets specific competence requirements for each role involved in a translation project. The key roles are the translator, the reviser, the reviewer, and the project manager.
A translator must meet one of three recognised pathways to demonstrate competence. These were updated in the 2017 amendment and include a recognised university degree in translation, a recognised university degree in any other field combined with at least two years of documented full-time professional translation experience, or at least five years of documented full-time professional translation experience. The standard is explicit: competence must be documented. A translation service provider cannot simply claim their translators are qualified. They must hold and maintain records that demonstrate it.
The reviser must have the same competence as the translator. This is important because revision is not a light editorial pass. Under ISO 17100, revision means a bilingual review of the translation against the source text, assessing it for suitability for purpose, terminology, register, and other agreed parameters. It must be performed by a second person, not the translator themselves.
The reviewer, if used, works monolingually in the target language and focuses on fitness for purpose in the specific domain. The project manager is responsible for coordinating the project, managing client communication, and ensuring the workflow is followed. Each role has documented competence requirements.
Technical Resources
ISO 17100 also requires that the translation service provider has appropriate tools and infrastructure. This includes translation technology such as computer-assisted translation tools, terminology management systems, and quality assurance software. The standard does not mandate specific tools but requires that whatever tools are used are fit for purpose and that the people using them are competent to do so.
Clause 5: Pre-Production
Pre-production covers the steps that happen before translation begins. This includes handling the client enquiry, preparing a quotation, agreeing on the scope and requirements of the project, and establishing a project specification.
The standard requires that the translation service provider and the client reach a clear agreement on what is to be translated, the target language or languages, the purpose of the translation, any reference materials or terminology to be used, the delivery format, and the timeline. This agreement forms the basis for the entire project.
For auditors, this section is worth examining carefully. Weak pre-production is a common source of problems in translation projects. If the project specification is vague or the client's expectations are not properly captured, the risk of delivering a translation that does not meet the client's needs increases significantly. Evidence to look for includes project briefs, client instructions, quotation records, and signed agreements.
Clause 6: Production
This is the heart of ISO 17100. The production workflow under the standard consists of four mandatory steps: translation, checking, revision, and verification.
Translation
The translator produces the target language text from the source. They must apply the agreed terminology, follow the project specification, and flag any issues that affect the translation, such as unclear source text, missing reference materials, or terminology conflicts.
Checking
The translator checks their own work before passing it on. This is a self-review step. It covers completeness, consistency, and adherence to the project specification. It is distinct from revision, which is performed by a second person.
Revision
Revision is the signature requirement of ISO 17100. It is a bilingual review performed by a qualified reviser who was not the translator on the same project. The reviser compares the translation against the source text and assesses it against the agreed parameters. This step cannot be skipped under ISO 17100. A translation that has not been revised by a second qualified person does not conform to the standard.
This is a point where auditors often find nonconformities. Providers may claim they perform revision but on examination it turns out to be a light proofread performed by the same translator, or the reviser does not meet the competence requirements, or revision records are not maintained. All of these are findings.
Review and Proofreading
Review and proofreading are optional steps under ISO 17100. They are performed when specified in the project agreement. Review is a monolingual check for fitness for purpose in the target domain. Proofreading compares the final formatted document against the translated text to check for typographical or formatting errors introduced during layout. Neither step replaces revision.
Verification
Before delivery, the project manager or another responsible person verifies that all required steps have been completed, that the deliverable matches the project specification, and that the translation is ready to send to the client.
Clause 7: Post-Production
Post-production covers what happens after the translation is delivered. ISO 17100 requires the translation service provider to have a process for handling client feedback and complaints. It also requires that project records and deliverables are archived in accordance with agreed timelines and applicable data protection requirements.
For auditors, the archiving and data protection requirements are worth examining in the context of broader privacy obligations. In Australia, the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles apply to organisations handling personal information. A translation service provider handling documents that contain personal information needs to ensure its archiving and data protection practices are consistent with those obligations.
How ISO 17100 Certification Works
ISO 17100 certification follows a two-stage audit process conducted by an accredited certification body, similar to the certification process for ISO 9001 or ISO 14001. Stage 1 is a documentation review. Stage 2 is an on-site or remote audit of the implemented system. Certification, if granted, is valid for three years, with surveillance audits conducted in years one and two.
Organisations seeking certification need to demonstrate conformity across all mandatory requirements of the standard. The most common areas where organisations struggle are translator competence records, revision records, and the documentation of pre-production agreements. These are also the areas where auditors conducting third-party certification audits focus their attention.
Who Uses ISO 17100 and Why It Matters
ISO 17100 is used by translation service providers who want to demonstrate the quality of their services to clients. It is also used by procurement teams and quality managers who need to evaluate and select translation suppliers.
If your organisation procures translation services, ISO 17100 certification by a supplier is a meaningful indicator of process maturity. It tells you that the supplier has documented competence requirements for its translators, that it runs a structured production workflow with mandatory revision, and that it maintains project records. It does not guarantee a perfect translation, but it does mean the processes are in place to consistently produce quality work.
For quality managers working under ISO 9001, evaluating translation service providers against ISO 17100 is consistent with the requirements of Clause 8.4, which deals with the control of externally provided processes, products, and services. Understanding what ISO 17100 requires helps you ask better questions when selecting or auditing a translation supplier.
If you are building your auditor skill set and are interested in expanding into specialist standards, understanding the structure and requirements of ISO 17100 is a useful addition. The auditing skills you develop through training as an ISO internal auditor transfer directly to auditing against ISO 17100, even though the standard has its own clause structure.
Exemplar Global Recognised Training ProviderRTP No. 310970Common Nonconformities in ISO 17100 Audits
Based on the structure of the standard and the areas it emphasises, the most frequent nonconformities in ISO 17100 audits tend to cluster around a few themes:
- Translator competence records: The organisation cannot produce documented evidence that translators meet one of the three recognised pathways. Qualifications are claimed but not verified or on file.
- Revision not performed by a second person: The translator checks their own work and this is counted as revision. This is a direct nonconformity against the mandatory requirement for a second qualified reviser.
- Reviser competence not documented: Even where revision is performed by a second person, the reviser's competence records are incomplete or absent.
- Pre-production agreements not formalised: Projects proceed on the basis of informal email exchanges rather than documented project specifications that cover all required parameters.
- Revision records not maintained: The organisation cannot demonstrate that revision was completed for a given project because no record was kept.
- Post-delivery feedback process absent: There is no documented process for handling client feedback or complaints after delivery.
If you are auditing a translation service provider, these are the areas to probe. Ask to see the competence records for the translators and revisers assigned to recent projects. Ask to see the revision records for those projects. Ask how pre-production agreements are documented and where those records are kept.
ISO 17100 and the Broader ISO Landscape
ISO 17100 does not sit in isolation. Translation service providers who also hold ISO 9001 certification will find significant overlap between the two standards. ISO 9001 provides the overarching quality management framework, including requirements for context, leadership, planning, support, and improvement. ISO 17100 adds the sector-specific requirements for translation processes and competence.
For auditors who work across multiple standards, understanding how sector-specific standards relate to the core management system standards is an important part of professional development. The ISO auditor career path often involves starting with the major management system standards and then expanding into specialist areas as experience grows.
At Audit Workshop, our training programmes in ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 give you the auditing foundation to approach any process-based standard with confidence. Whether you are an internal auditor looking to develop your skills or a quality professional aiming for lead auditor credentials, the practical auditing techniques you learn apply across all ISO standards, including specialist ones like ISO 17100.
