In the course of an entire day set aside for the re-audit on 15 May Mr Mohamed-Ali Ibrahim from the Austrian Standards Institute was personally satisfied that translingua continues to deliver ‘excellent work in compliance with the due diligence criteria stipulated by ÖNORM.’ The audit carefully scrutinised the daily work processes which take place at translingua. These included a complete translation order, which was analysed from the initial order acceptance stage through to placement with a qualified translator, right down to dispatch of the completed translation to the customer. The standard sets out clear guidelines regarding the choice of translator, the proofreading process and consideration of various formal requirements, particularly in the field of project management. Further matters which were addressed in the course of the audit included the acquisition of new translators, the way project managers dealt with ‘extraordinary’ situations and the regular monitoring of customer satisfaction levels.

‘Admittedly, preparing for re-certification every two years certainly involves a lot of work,’ commented Dr. Brigitte Meßner, managing partner of translingua, ‘but even so we’re entirely convinced that such audits are necessary. They force you to work continuously on improving your in-house procedures and to monitor routine processes with regard to their everyday usefulness. At the end of the day, all this is always to the benefit of customers who gain from the enhanced quality of the translation they place with us. The fact that our processes comply with the industry’s benchmark standard plays an important role in this case.’