This week, Eurotext Translations announced that it obtained certification for the hot-off-the-press ISO 9001:2008 quality management standard, making the Dublin-based company one of the first language services providers (LSPs) to do so. Many LSPs in the industry –such as Lionbridge,  Tek Translation, and thebigword– currently have ISO 9001:2000 certification. So, what’s so special about the newest version? We see three major differences that have the potential to affect the delivery of translation and localization services.

• In-house quality management. Section 5.5.2 requires the “management representative” to be a member of the organization’s management team. In other words, LSPs that wish to use external consultants as the primary point of contact for their clients will no longer be able to do so with ease. What will be the impact on LSPs? Low, because the project managers overseeing quality initiatives within most LSPs are usually in-house staff.
• Conformance to quality requirements. Where Section 6.2 once stated, “affecting product quality,” it now states, “affecting conformity to product requirements.” In our August 2008 report on buyer-defined quality, we highlighted the importance of making translation quality explicit through detailed requirements. Impact on LSPs? Medium, given that the product requirements can be as vague or as explicit as the two parties agree contractually, depending on how they define quality.
• Greater protection of customer assets. As before, the organization is required to inform customers of problems regarding their property, but Section 7.5.4 now specifies that personal data is also considered to fall within this category. Impact on LSPs? High, because this means that the LSP is fully responsible not only for safeguarding all of the data assets (style guides, translation memory files, glossaries, and other documentation), but for alerting customers if something goes awry with them.

The differences between the two standards may seem nominal at first glance, but some of these changes may require adjustments to the processes used by those LSPs that seek to upgrade their certifications. So, what does this mean for buyers and suppliers in the language services space?

Our research regarding the supply-side outlook of the industry in 2006 revealed that just 12 percent of LSPs had sought ISO certification. Of those few who had achieved this status, nearly 70% stated that it improved their clients’ perception of their quality. At that time, we contended that ISO certification would become a basic requirement for LSPs working with global information management, especially for customers requiring strict compliance to industry regulations.

This prediction still holds true, especially as buyers become more aware of the fact that some LSPs hold ISO certification while others do not. In fact, our research on the use of ISO certification in QA programs revealed that 53 percent of buyers believed the ISO 9000:2000 standard to be either “somewhat” or “very” important. Usually, customers learn about ISO from competitor salespeople who use the differentiator to uproot an incumbent.

However, most LSPs underestimate the importance that buyers give to ISO certification. As we pointed out in our discussion of the things every LSP needs to know about buyer views of quality, and shown by our prior research on quality standards and the gap between buyer and supplier views, customers care more about standards than LSPs typically think they do.

In summary, was Eurotext’s move a smart one? Definitely, since a mere 10 percent of buyers claimed they had “never heard of” the ISO quality standard, and of those potential customers that know about it, the majority said it was important to them. Obtaining the latest ISO certification is a good strategy for LSPs wishing to stand out from the pack. However, our research also shows that various other quality indicators matter even more to buyers than standards do. So, while obtaining quality standard certification matters, it is not the be-all, end-all, either. Strong relationships with customers go further than any quality standard ever could.