The Translation People and ISO
Much of the company’s focus in recent months has centred around our impending QA audit and the impending ISO certification. Here, our Quality Manager, Jasmin Schneider, describes the aims, challenges and importance of the accreditation.
Q. Why are The Translation People embarking on this process?
A. The fundamental aim of the process is to continuously improve our service. By implementing and formalising a process which focuses on our response to client needs, we are able to ensure that our service is completely in line with current requirements in the industry and the needs of our clients.
Q. What challenges have you faced in implementing the policy?
A. After the initial assessment we realised that our processes were fit for purpose, but they were not documented in accordance with the requirements of the ISO standard. It has been challenging to get all the paperwork in place but luckily our staff are highly organised and by working together we were able to overcome this challenge well within the set timeframe.
Q. What does the process involve?
A. We have had to standardise our processes across all offices through written procedures and Work Instructions. Extensive training has been carried out by the QA team to ensure all members of staff are aware of the aims of the Quality Management System and all the individual elements contained within it. The QA system is reviewed by the senior management team every month, and a review of our KPIs is undertaken during the same review meeting. An initial audit is booked in for the start of October and the full audit will take place at the end of the following month.
Q. Why is it important?
A. Aside from the inherent improvement to our service that the process will generate, it is important for our company to have the accreditation so that our clients know that their projects will be handled in a professional way in line with established quality standards.
