Translation Quality Management and Certification of Translation Accuracy

RIC International is a leading provider of specialized scientific, medical, and technical translation services in all the major European, Asian, and American languages. Our specialization, focus, quality management processes, and customer-centered attitude have earned us the trust of many of the world's best technology and pharmaceutical companies that rely on RIC International for certified translation of their critical documents.

To provide reliable translation quality and enable us to issue Certificate of Translation Accuracy, RIC International has developed a robust, multi-level system of translation quality assurance and quality management for all technical translation projects. We utilize a four-part system of quality checks and balances:

• Selection of the translation team members with the right scientific qualifications for the project;
• Workflow that ensures a system of cross-checks, where every translation is examined by at least 3 technical translators;
• Utilizing the state of the art translation technology for translation recycling, content management, document management, and reporting;
• Translation Project Management system that assures that all of client requirements are adhered to and ensures responsive last-minute requests or unforeseen document changes.

Because of our adherence to the strictest translation quality standards in the industry, we are pleased to provide Certificate of Translation Accuracy free of charge for every translation project we complete.

Matching of Technical Specialization of Translators and Editors with the Project Requirements

Translation is an intrinsically human-factor driven process, and qualifying, accrediting, and assigning the best personnel possible to each project is the first step of Translation Quality Management. The translator selection, accreditation, and project-staffing procedures are outlined in the Accreditation Process for Scientific, Technical, and Medical Translators and the Qualification Requirements for Scientific, Technical, and Medical Translators sections.

The System of Checks and Balances for Translation Validation

To minimize the chances of an error or omission in language or information, RIC International requires that three pairs of expert eyes look at all content from the beginning to the end: translator, editor, and proofreader. Every one of these specialists is a professional translator, a native speaker of the target language with a science degree and experience in the appropriate industry. Any differences of opinion among these linguists will be discussed with the translation project manager, who may then ask for the client's opinion, if necessary.

To ensure the relevance of our work to users in target cultures, another staffing requirement is RIC International's insistence that the linguists working on each translation project reside in different countries. While the finished documents will be going to customers in various countries, RIC International insists on having a combination of regionally-based as well as U.S.-based technical translators and editors with native language abilities in the target language to review the translations before sending them back to our translation project managers for a final check on formatting and consistency.

For example, a scientific paper on the use of inhalers for children with asthma may be translated in the United States by a Mexican-born pediatrician. It is then sent to an immunologist in Colombia for editing - not only to verify correctness of medical terminology, but also to take account of all cultural sensitivities and remove any Mexico-specific idioms. The final proof-reading may be done by an Argentinean medical translator specializing in respiratory illnesses.

For larger projects, when more than one translator is working on a document at a given time, an additional Spanish native speaker will act as Editor-in Chief responsible for all final edits on the document to ensure consistency in terms of style and jargon throughout the life cycle of the translation project. This Editor-in-Chief will also be a native speaker of Spanish trained in clinical medicine. Furthermore, having years of experience as a chief scientific translator and editor, he or she will have a proven track record of maintaining quality control over large quantities of translations.

Translation Review and Customer Feedback

At the end of the project, the Translation Project Manager discusses with the client all aspects of the project, and asks the client to fill out a detailed Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire. The questionnaire gives the client the opportunity to rate numerically the various aspects of RIC International's service on the recently completed project, as well as to provide qualitative feedback on the individual project, on the Project Manager's performance, and on satisfaction with RIC's offerings and services overall.

This feedback is communicated directly to the Director of Operations who may discuss it with the Project Manager and with the Operations Team. At the end of the project, the Project Managers also evaluate the performance and quality of the deliverables of each individual scientific translator and editor, and then enter all of this information into RICAS, RIC International's proprietary computerized workflow management and control system.

The final step involves a post-project assessment, where the Project Manager, the Account Representative, and the Director of Operations review the quality of the deliverables, summarize lessons learned, and might make recommendations for process improvements.

Information About Our Scientific, Medical, and Technical Translation Services

To learn more about our Translation Quality Management System, or translation certification process, or to discuss your company's translation requirements, please call us at 800.240.0246. Or you can send us an e-mail at info@ricintl.com. We look forward to hearing from you!