Translator L&F – How we work

How we work

Audited management system

Our quality management system is designed to ensure best-in-class service, with guaranteed quality, traceability and on-time delivery of all jobs. This system enables us to guarantee translations that are faithful, accurate and fit for purpose and that adhere strictly to any project-specific linguistic or stylistic requirements and the standard terminology used in relevant sources of national and international law (including EU law), the client’s own documents and the industry in which the client operates.

Since 2010, we have been subject to annual quality audits (Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance Limited and, subsequently, Bureau Veritas, S.A.). Specifically, we are certified to the following standards: UNE-EN ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems and UNE-EN ISO 17100:2015 Translation Services – Service Requirements. These certifications testify to the excellence of our organisational structure, which is strongly geared towards providing an orderly, reliable and responsive service.

Discover our Quality Policy.

Technical and linguistic preparatory work

Translation analysis

Technical analysis of the source text. This comprises three steps: convert the text to a translatable format (where necessary), process text, image and audio or video files, and compile or prepare reference material.

Linguistic and terminological analysis of the source text. This includes a preliminary study of the terminology and any linguistic or documentary requirements for translating the text; preparing a glossary of project-specific terminology; and, where applicable, locating any national or international legal texts quoted in or relevant to the document, as well as any other reference material (e.g., the corporate website or documentation, publicly available financial reports and accounts) that exemplifies the client’s terminology.

Task assignment. Our project managers work closely with the relevant language department to assign the document to the most suitable translator and reviser, looking for complementary skills and aptitudes.

The work of translating

A single translator who knows the subject

The translators who work for Translator L&F will always fit the profile described in Who translates at Translator L&F. Each project is assigned to a single translator, so as to ensure terminological and stylistic consistency throughout the translated document.

That does not mean we cannot meet tight deadlines, as our translators have well above average productivity. Translator L&F has always considered this a basic requirement, given the nature of the translation business. If a job is very large and the deadline very tight, Translator L&F may assign it to more than one translator (though never more than three), who will be in constant contact with one another (by the means indicated below). In such cases, the revision will be done by one of the translators involved in the project.

The translator, the reviser and the head of the language department concerned will be in permanent contact with one another, either in person in our offices or through our TMS (Translation Management System) application. The contact is unbroken, and monitoring by the Head of the Translation Area is continuous. For additional assistance, the translator may contact other Translator L&F translators to resolve specific difficulties that require an expert opinion. Through many years of close collaboration in our tight-knit translation teams, our translators have formed excellent working relationships. Once a translation is complete, the translator will always give it a final read-through on paper.

The work of revising

Included in the translation fee.

Once a translation is ready, within the project deadline, the translator uploads the translated document to the TMS application, adding any comments or recommendations to the reviser as necessary.

At Translator L&F, revisers have the same qualifications as translators. The reviser will compare the source and target texts, paying special attention to consistency of terminology and style throughout the document, as well as any comments by the translator and the technical and linguistic preparatory work carried out by the Translator L&F team.

The reviser will also be in permanent contact with the translator and the Head of the Translation Area concerned.

Final approval and delivery

Formatted to the client’s requirements

Before the Coordination Department delivers a job to the client, the Technical Assistance and DTP Department checks that the format of the translated document meets the client’s requirements.

In the case of sworn translations, once the translated document has been revised, the sworn translator stamps a printed copy to certify that the document is a faithful and complete translation of the original.

On-time delivery

9.7 (average score) for Punctuality in our 2019 satisfaction survey

Translator L&F aims to excel both in the quality of its work and in its ability to tackle assignments that would be beyond the capabilities of other companies. Realising how important quick turnaround times are for many clients and how basic a requirement this is, Translator L&F and its translation team have acquired the ability to deliver well-above-average output. It is thanks to this exceptional productivity, coupled with ongoing translator recruitment and training, that we are able to handle the occasional peak workload.

Our service always includes strict on-time delivery of all jobs and a readiness to fully meet our clients’ most demanding requirements (in terms of volume and delivery). The Production Coordination Department uses our TMS application to monitor and supervise progress and ensure that intermediate milestones and final deadlines (delivery to the client) are met.

So effective has this system been that the one feature of the Translator L&F service our clients valued most highly in the 2019 Satisfaction Survey, with an average score of 9.7, was on-time delivery of translations.