What is ASTM and Why a Standard for Translation?
ASTM International, formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials, is one of the largest voluntary standards development organizations in the world, known for its best-in-class practices for standards development and delivery. After more than 8 years in development, ASTM F2575-06, the first translation standard of its kind in the US, was finally published in 2006 with the main goal being to help identify and effectively communicate “factors relevant to the quality of language translation services for each phase of a translation project.” A Framework to Define Quality The purpose of the standard is to provide a framework for establishing an open dialogue with your language services provider and other relevant stakeholders to agree on a series of specifications that will define quality for you and the expectations that need to be met to achieve that quality. As quality is subjective, it is defined by the standard as the degree to which the characteristics of a translat
