Summary
ISO 17100 certifies the quality of a translation provider's processes, ensuring qualified professionals and standardized workflows for accuracy.
ISO 27001 certifies an organization's information security, guaranteeing your sensitive data is protected from breaches.
For clients, this means choosing an ISO 17100 provider for official documents and an ISO 27001 provider for confidential information like legal contracts or financial records.
For projects requiring both high accuracy and data security, modern solutions like Bluente's AI Document Translation Platform are designed to meet both standards.
You're reviewing potential translation service providers for an important project when you notice some agencies boasting about ISO certifications. But what exactly are ISO 17100 and ISO 27001? Are they just bureaucratic hoops for agencies to jump through, or do they actually matter for your translation project?
If you're feeling confused about these certifications—whether as a client seeking translation services or a translator navigating industry requirements—you're not alone. As one translator put it on Reddit, "I'm struggling to understand what counts as a 'recognized graduate qualification' and if the 'two years of full-time experience' has to be consecutive/recent or if it can be cumulative."
Let's demystify these two critical but distinct certification standards, explain why they matter, and provide clarity on what they mean for both clients and translators.
ISO 17100: The Benchmark for Translation Quality
ISO 17100:2015 is specifically designed for Translation Service Providers (TSPs), establishing requirements for the core processes, resources, and aspects necessary for delivering quality translations.
Think of ISO 17100 as the guarantee that proper translation procedures are followed from start to finish. It doesn't certify the quality of individual translations, but rather the processes that make quality translations possible.
What ISO 17100 Covers: The Four Pillars
Human Resources This is where those qualification requirements come from. Under ISO 17100, translators must have at least one of the following:
A recognized graduate qualification in translation
A recognized graduate qualification in another field plus two years of full-time professional translation experience
Five years of full-time professional translation experience
Pre-production This covers everything that happens before translation begins: handling client inquiries, assessing feasibility, preparing quotations, and establishing project terms.
Production The actual translation process, including translation, revision, review, and proofreading steps.
Post-production Managing client feedback, implementing corrections, and closing projects.
Who Gets ISO 17100 Certified?
This is crucial to understand: individual freelance translators cannot become ISO 17100 certified. The certification applies to translation companies or agencies (TSPs) whose processes are audited against the standard.
As one translator clarified on Reddit, "You cannot say that you or your translations are ISO certified if you haven't actually been audited and approved by an official ISO auditor."
Why ISO 17100 Matters
For clients, working with an ISO 17100-certified agency means:
Assurance that qualified translators are handling your content
Consistent quality through standardized processes
Particularly important for certified translations of official documents like birth certificates, academic transcripts, and legal documents
ISO 27001: The Shield for Your Sensitive Data
While ISO 17100 focuses on translation quality, ISO/IEC 27001:2022 addresses something entirely different but equally crucial: information security.
ISO 27001 provides requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving an Information Security Management System (ISMS). Unlike ISO 17100, it's not specific to translation but applies to organizations across all industries.
The Core Principles: The CIA Triad
ISO 27001 is built around three fundamental principles, known as the CIA Triad:
Confidentiality: Ensuring information is only accessible to authorized individuals and systems
Integrity: Maintaining data accuracy and preventing unauthorized modifications
Availability: Guaranteeing information is accessible when needed by authorized users
Why ISO 27001 Matters in Translation
Translation often involves handling extremely sensitive information:
Legal contracts with confidentiality clauses
Medical records containing protected health information
Financial documents with proprietary data
Technical manuals with trade secrets
When you submit these documents for translation, you're essentially handing over sensitive information to a third party. An ISO 27001 certification provides assurance that the translation provider has robust systems in place to protect your data from breaches, unauthorized access, or loss. For professionals in legal and finance, using a platform like Bluente that is architected for security is critical.
As one client noted, "After a data breach at a previous vendor, we now exclusively work with ISO 27001 certified translation providers for our legal document translations."
Head-to-Head Comparison: Quality vs. Security
To understand the difference between these standards, consider this analogy:
ISO 17100 is like a chef's certification, ensuring the person preparing your meal has the right qualifications and follows proper cooking procedures.
ISO 27001 is like a health and safety certification for the entire restaurant, ensuring your food is stored properly, handled safely, and protected from contamination.
Feature | ISO 17100:2015 | ISO/IEC 27001:2022 |
|---|---|---|
Primary Focus | Translation Process Quality | Information Security Management |
Core Goal | Ensure high-quality, accurate translation output | Protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data |
Scope | Specific to Translation Service Providers (TSPs) | Applicable to any organization in any industry |
Key Requirement | Qualified linguists and defined translation processes | Comprehensive information security controls and risk management |
Stronger Together: Why Top Translation Services Need Both Certifications
These standards aren't competing—they're complementary. One focuses on delivering quality translations, while the other ensures your information remains secure throughout the process.
Consider this scenario: A pharmaceutical company needs to translate clinical trial data for regulatory submission in multiple countries.
ISO 17100 ensures the translations are accurate and performed by qualified experts, preventing potentially dangerous medical errors
ISO 27001 ensures patient data and proprietary research remains confidential throughout the translation process
Leading translation platforms like Bluente are built to meet both standards, combining AI-powered efficiency with the rigorous quality and security processes that modern clients demand.
The Broader Landscape: Other ISO Standards in Translation
While ISO 17100 and ISO 27001 are perhaps the most important certifications to understand, there are several other standards relevant to translation services:
ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management): A broader quality management standard that can be integrated with ISO 17100 to enhance operational excellence.
ISO 18587:2017: Specifically addresses post-editing of machine translation, establishing requirements for the process of human editing of machine-generated translations.
ISO 42001: An emerging standard addressing the responsible and ethical use of AI in various workflows, including translation.
What These Certifications Mean for You
For Clients Seeking Translation Services
Assess your specific needs:
Need translation for official documents like immigration papers, legal contracts, or medical records? Look for ISO 17100 certification.
Handling confidential or sensitive information? Prioritize providers with ISO 27001 certification.
For high-stakes projects combining both quality and confidentiality concerns, choose a provider with both certifications. Modern platforms like Bluente's AI Document Translation Platform are designed to offer this essential combination of certified quality and security.
Remember that certification doesn't guarantee perfection but provides assurance that the provider follows recognized industry standards and best practices.
For Freelance Translators
A common source of confusion is what ISO 17100 means for individual translators. To clarify:
You personally cannot become "ISO 17100 certified" - The certification applies to translation companies, not individuals.
However, you need to meet ISO 17100 qualification requirements to work with certified agencies. This is where those requirements about graduate qualifications or years of experience come from.
Make it clear in your resume that you meet these requirements. As one translator advised on Reddit: "I decided to put a short note in the resume that I sent to agencies mentioning how I do in fact meet these requirements."
Some freelancers express frustration with these standards, feeling they add "extra layers of complexity" or are "more hoops to jump through." While these concerns are valid, understanding certification requirements can help you position yourself effectively with agencies that value these standards.
Making an Informed Choice
ISO 17100 and ISO 27001 serve distinct but complementary purposes in the translation industry:
ISO 17100 ensures translation quality through standardized processes and qualified linguists
ISO 27001 guarantees information security throughout the translation workflow
Understanding the difference between these certifications empowers you to make better choices—whether you're a client selecting a translation partner or a translator navigating industry requirements.
For clients handling sensitive information that requires accurate translation, working with a provider certified in both standards offers the most comprehensive protection and quality assurance.
For translators, understanding these standards helps you align your qualifications with industry expectations and effectively communicate your value to potential clients and agencies.
These certifications aren't just bureaucratic exercises—they're frameworks that establish trust and excellence in an industry where both quality and security are paramount.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between ISO 17100 and ISO 27001?
The primary difference is that ISO 17100 focuses on the quality and processes of translation services, while ISO 27001 focuses on information security. ISO 17100 ensures that a translation provider uses qualified linguists and follows a structured workflow for accuracy. In contrast, ISO 27001 ensures that all client data is protected against breaches and unauthorized access.
Why should I choose a translation agency with ISO 17100 certification?
You should choose an ISO 17100 certified agency to guarantee that your project is handled by qualified professionals following a standardized, quality-driven process. This certification verifies that translators meet strict criteria for education and experience and that a multi-step process (including translation, revision, and review) is used. This is particularly vital for official documents where accuracy is non-negotiable.
When is ISO 27001 certification essential for a translation project?
ISO 27001 certification is essential whenever you are translating documents that contain sensitive, confidential, or proprietary information. This includes legal contracts, patient medical records, financial data, and intellectual property. The certification provides assurance that the provider has a robust Information Security Management System (ISMS) to protect your data's confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Can a freelance translator become ISO 17100 certified?
No, an individual freelance translator cannot become ISO 17100 certified. The certification is awarded to translation companies (Translation Service Providers) and audits their entire business process, not individuals. However, freelancers must meet the qualification criteria outlined in the standard to be eligible to work for a certified agency.
What are the qualifications for a translator under ISO 17100?
A translator must meet at least one of the following three criteria to work with an ISO 17100-certified agency:
A recognized graduate qualification (degree) in translation.
A recognized graduate qualification in another field plus two years of full-time professional translation experience.
Five years of full-time professional translation experience.
Do I need a provider with both ISO 17100 and ISO 27001?
For high-stakes projects involving sensitive information that also requires impeccable accuracy, choosing a provider with both certifications is the best practice. The two standards are complementary, offering comprehensive assurance. For instance, a medical device company translating technical manuals would benefit from ISO 17100's quality process and ISO 27001's protection of their trade secrets.
Note: While this article provides an overview of ISO standards in translation services, requirements may evolve over time. Always refer to the official ISO website for the most current information on certification standards.