EN15038 - Awareness and Implementation
By
Communicate newsletter,
European Union of Associations of Translation Companies
http://www.atc.org.uk
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The EUATC conducted a survey
ahead of its annual conference in Paris to gauge awareness
and the rate of implementation of EN15038, the translation
standard. It also tested awareness of the standard among purchasers.
Survey forms were circulated by national associations belonging
to the EUATC.
The results, presented to the Paris conference by Geoffrey
Bowden, General Secretary of the Association of Translation
Companies, showed a high awareness of the standard. However,
it highlighted that only 17 per cent of European translation
companies had been certified to EN15038. Nearly double that,
33 per cent, had selfdeclared to the standard.
Nearly 50 per cent of companies quizzed that had yet to do
so were thinking of adopting the standard. However, the reasons
given by those companies for not taking up the standard included
such comments as:
“We have ISO, which is enough.”
“Customers don’t care about EN15038 or ISO
- they only care about the price.”
“Our clients know the very high standards of
our translations.”
“It is a competitive advantage, but it is not
required by our current customers.”
Those companies with ISO accreditation were asked whether
they would consider taking up the European Standard too. Two
thirds said that they would not consider it.
The survey showed that client relationships had improved
for those companies that had adopted the standard - just over
50 per cent said that this had been a positive result.
A third of the companies with the standard in place also
said that their processes had been improved as a result.
A key barrier to wider adoption of the standard as revealed
by the survey is the very low awareness of the standard among
clients.
“The EUATC should be more active in marketing the standard
to overcome this significant issue” was a typical comment.
During the EUATC conference, Klaus Ahrend, head of EC’s Translation
Directorate said that the Commission was considering using
accreditation to the standard as one of the determining factors
in awarding contracts to translation company suppliers.
Published - April 2009
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