What is ISO18587, the international standard? Necessary preparations and points for obtaining certification.

1. What is ISO18587?

ISO18587 is an international standard issued in 2017, which is a standard for post-editing using machine translation.
This standard specifies the requirements for post-editing procedures and methods, qualifications and skills of post-editors, and document management, and promotes the improvement of translation quality.

2. Post-editing

Post-editing is the process of manually correcting the translation results of a machine translation engine. There are two main methods: "full post-editing" and "light post-editing".

 

Full Post-edit:
Thoroughly corrects the entire translated text of machine translation. Changes sentence structure and meaning, and corrects any incorrect translations.

 

Light Post-edit:
Check the results of machine translation roughly and make minor corrections if necessary.

 

For more details on full post-edit and light post-edit, please refer to this page.

3. Similarities and Differences with ISO 17100

ISO18587 is a standard that specializes in post-editing, which is part of the translation process, and focuses on ensuring the quality of the translated content.
On the other hand, ISO17100 focuses on quality management throughout the entire translation process, covering not only translation, proofreading, and review procedures, but also project planning, implementation, resource management, and quality evaluation after project completion.

4. Purpose and Focus of ISO18587

ISO18587 aims to establish international standards for post-editing and improve the quality of translation work using machine translation.

ISO18587 focuses on the following three points:

・Post-editing process and methods
・Qualifications and skills of post-editor
・Final translation quality

5. Items commonly reviewed in necessary criteria and audits

ISO18587 focuses on "post-editing procedures and methods", "qualifications and skills of post-editors", and "final translation quality", so it is important to first confirm whether your company or organization's post-editing services meet these criteria.

During the audit, the following items will mainly be examined.

 

Overall Workflow
The actual process of post-editing is inspected to ensure that it is properly documented and followed. This includes procedures for translation and post-editing, quality control procedures, and methods for collecting feedback.

 

Post-editor hiring criteria
The post-editor hiring process will be inspected to determine if it is rigorous and if the post-editor's language abilities, specialized knowledge, and skills in quality management are appropriately evaluated.

 

Post-editor Training Program
The post-editor's training program and education system will be inspected to ensure proper development.

 

Feedback System
The feedback given to the post-editor will be inspected to ensure its appropriateness. It is important to have a system in place for post-editors to receive feedback for the improvement of translation quality and be able to make improvements accordingly.

 

Quality Management Process
Post-editing process quality management will be inspected. This includes transparency of workflow, setting quality evaluation criteria, and documenting quality assurance procedures.

 

Confidentiality and Security
The policy for ensuring the confidentiality of documents and information handled in the post-editing process will be inspected to ensure compliance.

 

To demonstrate that these systems, standards, processes, etc. actually exist and are consistently applied in our operations, it is necessary to present the auditors with the materials that are actually being used and provide explanations to support them.

For example, when explaining the feedback system, it is necessary to present the following items to the auditor.

・Feedback sheet template to send to post-editor
・Feedback sent to post-editor in the past
・Post-editor evaluation management sheet
・Email template used when sending feedback
・Reply email from post-editor regarding feedback
・Location and folder structure for feedback data

6. Benefits of Obtaining Approval

Obtaining ISO18587 certification has the following benefits:

 

Adaptability to the increasing demand for post-editing due to the improvement of machine (AI) translation accuracy
By obtaining ISO18587 certification, we can establish a strong position in the market where the demand for post-editing is increasing due to the improvement of AI translation accuracy.

 

Differentiation with companies certified for ISO17100 compliance
Obtaining approval for ISO18587 among many companies that comply with ISO17100 can demonstrate unique strengths and expertise, and enhance competitiveness.

7. Flow of Acquisition and Update Audits

ISO18587 acquisition and update audits typically follow the steps below.

 

Application:
We will apply to the certifying organization.

 

Audit Adjustment:
Adjusts the audit schedule.

 

Audit Conducted:
On the day of the audit, certified auditors from the certification body will visit and evaluate the post-edit process and quality management system. In some cases, audits may be conducted online, especially for overseas certification bodies. Audits are usually conducted only once, but the duration may vary depending on the certification body. Generally, at least 3 hours are required.

 

Certification:
If all conditions are met, the organization will be awarded ISO 18587 certification at a later date. Some agencies may also notify the decision immediately after the audit.

 

Update audits generally follow the same procedure as acquisition audits. The update period for ISO 18587 is typically every 3 years. This means that organizations that have obtained ISO 18587 approval must undergo an update audit every 3 years.

8. Necessary Preparation and Points

The process of obtaining and updating ISO18587 certification is not very complicated. Reservations for audits can also be arranged relatively quickly. However, the time-consuming aspects are preparing the necessary documents for the audit, coordinating with team members for the audit, and holding meetings.

In addition, when referring to past projects during an audit, it may be necessary to provide the job number and related information for that project. Therefore, it is important to prepare such information in advance.

When using overseas certification agencies, it is recommended to translate some documents into English as needed for smooth auditing. In addition, since interpreters or proficient English speakers are necessary for the audit, separate arrangements must be made. However, if the person in charge of interpreting during the audit can immediately understand the content of the Japanese documents and can smoothly interpret, there may be no need to translate those documents into English.

9. Summary

ISO 18587 aims to improve the quality of translation work based on machine translation and establishes international standards for post-editing. By complying with these standards, companies can undergo an audit process and obtain ISO 18587 certification.

By obtaining ISO 18587 approval, you can effectively respond to the demand for post-editing and improve your competitiveness, so please consider it.

Human Science Co., Ltd. obtained ISO18587 in 2023. We have received requests for post-editing services and manual translation services from many global companies due to the high quality of our translations. We utilize translation support (CAT) tools such as Trados and Phrase TMS (formerly known as Memsource), as well as automatic translation tools, to improve efficiency and quality of translations, and contribute to the further development of our clients. If you are considering outsourcing your translations, please feel free to contact us.

 

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