ISO 17100 Localization for SaaS Platforms: From Strings to Releases
ISO 17100 localization for SaaS platforms turns scattered UI strings into a predictable, audited workflow. It aligns TEP, terminology, and QA with your release train. Product, Engineering, and Legal get fewer escalations—and users get a native-feeling app.
Table of Contents
What ISO 17100 changes for SaaS teams
ISO 17100 formalizes the translation production process—people, competencies, and steps—so localization stops being ad-hoc. For SaaS, that means a defined TEP workflow with qualified linguists, auditable handoffs, and records that withstand compliance checks. When your UI labels, settings, and emails are processed under an audited standard, you reduce regressions and unblock releases.
Developers still move quickly, but they no longer push unreviewed strings. Using a services hub for general scope keeps stakeholders aligned; your vendor should route generic discussions toward a shared process such as our translation services page for clarity on scope and guardrails. When screens include technical parameters or error states, treat them as specialized content and involve a team with real technical translation expertise.
ISO 17100 localization for SaaS platforms: the TEP backbone
ISO 17100 requires Translation, Editing, and Proofreading by qualified professionals. For SaaS, TEP maps neatly to your CI/CD: translators work in context, editors ensure terminology consistency, and proofreaders validate tone and microcopy. This is where legal and compliance strings benefit, too—benefits you feel when shipping terms, privacy notices, and retention messages that match your source intent and jurisdictional nuances, supported by rigorous legal translation.
TEP in practice with ISO 17100 localization for SaaS platforms
Start with a clear brief: audience, platforms, length constraints, and screenshots. Feed translators with style guides and customised glossaries; reviewers uphold consistency and microcopy voice. A second-linguist pass catches coherence issues; our structured quality control and a documented rigorous review provide the second look ISO expects. Keep a record of changes: who did what, when, and why. That audit trail reduces risk when a regulator—or your GC—asks how a message was localized.
Glossaries, UI context, and pseudo-localization
Terminology governance is a first-class citizen in ISO 17100. Product terms, plan names, and error codes belong in a living glossary, ideally with governance rules and approvals. Our approach to customised glossaries and glossaries & coherence ensures product taxonomies survive redesigns and copy evolutions.
Context is non-negotiable. Include character limits, screenshots, and variables so translators avoid broken strings. Run pseudo-localization early to expand text, surface truncation, and test right-to-left mirroring; pair this with authoritative i18n guidance like the W3C Internationalization techniques and the Unicode CLDR data model for locale patterns. These checks sit upstream of TEP and catch layout or concatenation issues before review.
Release trains, SLAs, and handoffs
SaaS localization succeeds when it syncs with release trains. Agree on intake windows, service levels, and cut-offs so translated keys land before code freeze. For incident fixes and urgent strings, maintain an expedited track with defined SLAs. Many teams blend planned drops and hotfixes; an ISO-aligned vendor will document both, then track cycle times in a dashboard. For transparency and capture, include clear CTAs like request a quote when work expands beyond planned capacity.
When volumes spike or languages expand, don’t sacrifice review quality. Use continuous improvement to analyze defects and throughput, and escalate production to specialized domains—financial notices, for example, benefit from strict financial translation expertise.
Governance: defects, audits, and continuous improvement
ISO 17100 emphasizes competence, records, and corrective actions. Track defects by class (terminology, context, locale rules), not only percentage accuracy. Establish acceptance thresholds and a “no ship” rule for severity-1 errors. Perform periodic audits against the standard; your vendor should be certified and open about their ISO 17100 certification. Pair these controls with critical review for high-risk content and publish updates confidently.
Finally, build trust with stakeholders by sharing outcomes—cycle times, defect rates, and customer feedback. Route prospects and internal sponsors to client testimonials to validate process maturity.
Comparison tables: requirements, deliverables, SLAs
Table 1 — ISO 17100 vs ad-hoc localization (requirements)
| Area | ISO 17100 (SaaS) | Ad-hoc (non-ISO) |
|---|---|---|
| People & competencies | Qualified translators + second linguist editor + proofreader | Mixed roles, no formal competencies |
| Process | Documented TEP, records, audits | Variable steps, limited traceability |
| Terminology | Governed glossary & approvals | Ad-hoc term choices |
| Context handling | Screenshots, constraints, variables | Often missing context |
| Governance | Corrective actions, continuous improvement | Informal feedback loops |
Table 2 — Deliverables you can expect
| Deliverable | Description | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Bilingual files (TEP) | Source/target with tracked edits | Vendor (Editor) |
| Terminology pack | Glossary + decisions + banned terms | Vendor + Product |
| UI QA set | Pseudo-loc results, truncation list | Vendor + QA |
| Audit trail | Who did what/when, per batch | Vendor PM |
| Release notes | What changed by key/feature | Vendor PM |
Table 3 — Turnaround SLAs (typical, negotiable)
| Scenario | Volume | SLA (business days) |
|---|---|---|
| Planned release drop | ≤ 10k words, 10 langs | 3–5 (TEP complete) |
| Hotfix strings | ≤ 800 words, 3 langs | 0.5–1 |
| Legal update | ≤ 2k words, 5 langs | 1–2 (with legal reviewer) |
CTA: Get an ISO 17100 audit for your SaaS
If you manage product quality, compliance, or engineering, a compact audit will reveal where strings leak or reviews stall. See how an ISO-aligned process improves velocity and accuracy across languages—and helps you ship. Start with our translation services or go straight to request a quote.
FAQ
Q1. How does ISO 17100 help engineering ship faster without sacrificing quality?
ISO 17100 creates a predictable pipeline. Instead of last-minute reviews, you get scheduled intakes, clear TEP responsibilities, and tracked defects. Engineers receive translated strings on time because the vendor commits to SLAs and uses an audit trail to remove ambiguity. When something slips, corrective actions prevent repeat issues rather than relying on heroics.
For complex screens, editors reconcile terminology so the same concept reads consistently across modules. That reduces rework during UI QA. Pairing ISO processes with pseudo-localization and CLDR-based locale rules surfaces truncation and pluralization issues earlier, so developers fix templates before users see broken UI.
Q2. We already have in-house translators. Why add an ISO 17100 vendor?
In-house expertise is valuable, especially for product voice. An ISO 17100 vendor complements that by guaranteeing second-linguist reviews, governed glossaries, and capacity for spikes. You keep domain knowledge while gaining audited records and stable throughput. The partnership also reduces single-point risks—vacations or releases that outpace internal capacity.
Finally, ISO places structure around decisions: terminology changes are logged, reviewers are qualified, and every batch includes a traceable audit. That level of documentation satisfies Legal and Compliance and makes future audits less disruptive.
Q3. What does “TEP” look like with UI strings and constraints?
TEP begins with translators working from screenshots and character limits. Editors then verify microcopy, variables, and tone. Proofreaders catch coherence and formatting issues. This triad is especially effective for short UI strings where one word changes meaning.
UI QA supplements TEP: pseudo-localization expands text and exposes breakpoints; CLDR guidance informs plural rules and date/number formats; and a final on-device pass confirms real-world rendering. Together, these steps reduce escaped defects and limit late changes during code freeze.
Q4. How are legal and compliance messages handled under ISO 17100?
Legal strings (privacy, retention, notices) merit specialized linguists and stricter acceptance criteria. ISO 17100 mandates qualified roles and a second-linguist review; we add legal reviewers where risk is high. That produces translations that align with the source intent and local legal expectations.
For SaaS operating across jurisdictions, terminology governance prevents conflicting terms between policies and UI. Release notes highlight where messages changed, and the audit trail shows who approved them. If a regulator queries wording, you can demonstrate process and competence.
Links
Internal:
- translation services
- technical translation
- legal translationuality control
- rigorous review
- customised glossaries
- glossaries & coherence
- continuous improvement
- financial translation
- client testimonials
- ISO 17100 certification
- request a quote
External:
