How to Choose an ISO 17100 Translation Company
A practical checklist for decision-makers and procurement departments.
Verify Our CredentialsChoosing a translation company on price alone is the most common mistake in procurement departments. The lowest per-word price can result in the highest total cost when translation errors lead to regulatory delays, compromised contracts or loss of credibility with international partners.
This guide offers objective criteria for evaluating translation suppliers, whether large or small. The goal is simple: to help you make an informed decision, based on facts rather than promises.
M21Global meets every criterion described here. Explore our ISO 17100 certification and discover why quality is in the DNA of M21Global.
ISO 17100 certification: the minimum requirement
The ISO 17100 standard is the international benchmark for translation services. It defines requirements for human resource management (translator and reviewer qualifications), the translation process (including mandatory revision) and project management.
An ISO 17100 certified company has been audited by an independent body (in the case of M21Global, by Bureau Veritas) and has demonstrated that its processes meet the requirements of the standard. This does not guarantee that every translation will be perfect, but it does guarantee that a documented system exists to prevent, detect and correct errors.
How to verify: ask for the certificate. Check that it is still valid and that the scope covers the services you require. An ISO 9001 certificate (generic quality management) is not equivalent to ISO 17100 (specific to translation).
Specialisation in your field
A generalist company can translate a business email competently. But when the content involves legal, regulatory, medical, financial or technical terminology, the linguist's specialisation makes all the difference.
Ask your potential supplier: which linguists have proven translation experience in your field? Request examples of similar projects. A serious company will have a portfolio and references in your sector.
At M21Global, we work with dedicated sector teams: M21Legal for the legal sector, M21Finance for financial services, M21Tech for technology, M21Industry for industry, M21Medical for medical and scientific, and M21AI for artificial intelligence solutions.
Documented quality process
A trustworthy supplier should be able to describe their quality process clearly. Ask:
- Do they use the TEP process (Translation + Editing + Proofreading)? The ISO 17100 standard requires it.
- Do they maintain glossaries and translation memories per client?
- Which automatic QA tools do they use to verify consistency, formatting and integrity?
- How do they manage client feedback and incorporate corrections?
At M21Global, every project goes through a documented quality control process, with both automatic and human checks. Glossaries are maintained and updated over time, ensuring terminological consistency in recurring projects.
Confidentiality and security
The documents you send for translation may contain commercially sensitive information, personal data or intellectual property. Your translation supplier should guarantee:
- NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement): it should be offered proactively, not only upon request.
- Secure file handling: encrypted transfer, secure storage and deletion upon project completion.
- GDPR compliance: especially relevant for documents containing personal data of European citizens.
- Access controls: only the linguists assigned to the project should have access to the files.
Learn more about our confidentiality and security practices.
Capacity and scalability
Before choosing a supplier, assess whether they have the capacity to respond to your current and future needs:
- How many language pairs do they cover? If your organisation operates in multiple markets, you need a supplier that covers them all.
- Can they scale quickly? A 200-page project with a two-week deadline requires coordination and resources.
- Do they offer dedicated project management? For complex or recurring projects, a dedicated project manager makes all the difference in communication and deadline compliance.
At M21Global, we translate into more than 63 languages and have the capacity to manage projects of any size, with parallel teams and phased deliveries when required.
Warning signs
Watch out for these signals when evaluating proposals from translation companies:
- No certification: if the company does not mention ISO 17100 or cannot present the certificate, the quality process may be informal or non-existent.
- No process description: if they cannot explain how they guarantee quality, they probably do not have a documented system.
- Unusually low prices: if the price is significantly below market rates, something has been eliminated: the revision, the native translator, the quality control or the project management.
- No references: a serious company will have satisfied clients willing to provide references. If they refuse to share, question why.
- No NDA: if the company does not offer a non-disclosure agreement, the security of your data may not be a priority.
- No assigned project manager: if you do not know who your point of contact is, communication and follow-up may prove problematic.
Frequently Asked Questions
ISO 17100 is the international standard that defines requirements for translation services. It requires qualified translators (with documented training and proven experience), a translation process with mandatory revision, and documented project management. Certification is issued by accredited bodies such as Bureau Veritas, following an audit.
Ask for the ISO 17100 certificate and check three elements: that it is still valid (expiry date), that the scope covers the services you need, and which certification body issued it. You can also contact the certification body directly to confirm authenticity. An ISO 9001 certificate does not replace ISO 17100.
ISO 17100 applies to human translation services and defines requirements for the entire process, from translator qualifications to final delivery. ISO 18587 applies specifically to post-editing of machine translation (MTPE), defining requirements for the human review of machine-generated content. They are complementary standards for different services.
Yes, always. Ask for references from clients in your sector and contact them directly. Ask about translation quality, deadline compliance, responsiveness and problem resolution. A company confident in its quality will have references available. See our client testimonials.
Not necessarily. A competitive price may reflect operational efficiency or the use of technology. What matters is understanding what is included: is the translator native and qualified? Is there independent revision? Is there quality control? If the price is significantly below market rates and the supplier cannot explain why, something has probably been removed from the process.
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ISO Certification
Processes audited according to ISO 17100 and ISO 18587.
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The international standard for translation services.
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What our clients say about our service.
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Quality as M21Global's founding principle.
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