The LSC standard: focus on the product

At the LSC, we have taken a different approach from that of EN 15038 (2006). Instead of focusing on the process, we focus on the product: the translation itself.

First and foremost, we use only native-speaker translators. Quite simply, it's easier for them to get the language right. And then we get an independent peer review of every translation (unless explicitly agreed otherwise with the customer).

The independent peer review is a concept borrowed from the world of science, where journal editors have scientific papers reviewed by researchers in the same field before publication. This saves the editor the embarrassment of publishing obviously faulty research, but it also gives useful feedback to the scientists who write the articles. We have adapted the system for translation:

1. The translator makes and checks the translation and sends it to us for review.
2. We send it to a second, completely independent translator with the same language combination (and any specialist knowledge required) for review. This is a full translation check and results in a text with suggested improvements.
3. We then send the review back to the first translator, who decides what changes to accept or reject and produces the final version for the customer.

The translator benefits

This simple procedure elegantly includes all the functionality of the EN-15038 translation process, but with three improvements: the work-flow and responsibility are clear, both parties are native speakers of the target language, and when the final version is made, the translator benefits from the feedback of the reviewer.