Service specification
The service specification of a translation service provider defines binding requirements that contain all content-related and formal requirements for a translation service to be performed. It is to be completed by the client. In connection with the EN 15038 standard for translation services, “the translation service provider must make an agreement with the customer [...]. This agreement contains the […] service specification ”. It can be used as a form in a translation service company and, in addition to the requirements required for the provision of the services, defines the client's specific expectations of the translation service - the customer specification.
description
The conditions and requirements of a translation order are recorded in the service specification. The provision of additional information enables more efficient work that is more finely tuned to customer requirements, which significantly contributes to quality assurance .
EN 15038: 2006
The European standard for translation services EN 15038, which came into force on August 1, 2006 and has replaced DIN 2345 in Germany , mentions the service specification contained in the agreement between both parties in the section "Agreement between the customer and the translation service provider" is and is necessary for the provision of the service.
In addition, the standard stipulates in the section “Work processes for the provision of translation services” that, in the case of translation orders, the “service is checked for correctness and completeness as well as for compliance with the agreement between the customer and the translation service provider.” The source text received forms the basis and should be checked for the feasibility of the agreements made. In addition to the macrostructure with topic, text genre and language register , text function and text type , agreed text conventions, text structure of the overall text (superstructure) and non-verbal elements such as images and graphics, the microstructure with the fields pragmatics , grammar and syntax , lexicons and semantics and not linguistically decomposable ( suprasegmental ) features.
Records of “special linguistic requirements” can include “adherence to customer style guidelines, adapting the translation to an agreed target group, aligning it to a specific translation or purpose, using suitable terminology or updating glossaries ”.
The translation service provider has to adhere to possible style guidelines provided by the client. These specifications include, for example, punctuation , spelling , formatting , convention-related adaptations and culture specifics, as well as terminological definitions.
In connection with the text to be translated, it is important to "translate the text meaning given in the source language into the target language in such a way that the target text complies with the rules of the target language and the instructions of the translation job received." The following points can be taken into account: terminology, grammar , Lexicon, style, locale , formatting as well as target group and purpose of the translation.
If a technical examination is required, the translation service provider must arrange for it. All requirements listed in the standard can be met by means of a correspondingly detailed service specification.
meaning
For the optimal transfer of the content from a source text, a clearly defined specification with information on special terminology, specific lexical meanings (internal technical jargon ) and the like is required. a. of great importance. They can contain indispensable background knowledge that is essential for quality assurance .
Clearly defined work instructions in the service specification on the part of the client are of great importance for optimal understanding between both parties. The source text is the responsibility of the client and should be an explicitly articulated template and be binding in all semantic respects. If there is no express request on the part of the client, it is not the responsibility of the translator to intervene in the content of the template. A translation ideally reflects the quality profile of the original. Linguists refrain from commenting on the content of the text and are not responsible for it, even if it is not as favorable in terms of language or content as the respective author claims after the translation. Changes in the text compared to the source text may not be made arbitrarily by translators . A translator cannot reformulate because he has to stick to the given text. How freely a text can be translated should be defined in the service specification. However, there is no guarantee that the new formulations will correspond to the customer's individual taste.
If an order is not specified exactly, any ambiguities , textual imprecision, hidden inherent contradictions, omissions or incompleteness, stylistic and logical breaks cannot be disclosed. A service specification should avoid resorting to means such as interpretation and extrapolation to overcome ambiguities and ensure that the original is transferred true to the meaning of the word and the stylistic diction. It should be noted that the semantic-syntactic laws of the respective target language with their characteristic accentuations, perspectives of meaning as well as vocabulary and (technical) terminology structures are taken into account and that culturally-related knowledge background and mentality-related imagination and language dynamics are duly taken into account. In this way, an equivalent term or an exact transfer can be guaranteed for country-specific structures in system complexes such as education, administration and law.
method
Texts require precise clarification to avoid errors and inaccuracies. In order for the translation to correspond to the client's intention as well as possible, their cooperation is necessary. The degree of specification of an order or a service ranges from a simple specification to a possibly commented supplement to the additional task of reworking or even an independent foreign language text creation according to content specifications. The range of specifications depends individually on the type of text and text intention. The specified parameters can open up or limit the scope for action.
If no deviating specifications are to be taken into account, the order processing will take place in accordance with the standard framework conditions.
A justified assessment of the result can be made on the basis of the specific requirements. Information communicated subsequently can then only be taken into account as part of an additional order. In the case of intentions that are critical for the translation, i.e. comments, comments or statements, the translation service provider should be consulted in order to clarify the problem.
Individual evidence
- ↑ DIN EN 15038 Translation Services - Service Requirements; German version EN 15038: 2006, p. 11.
- ↑ DIN EN 15038 Translation Services - Service Requirements; German version EN 15038: 2006, p. 11.
- ↑ DIN EN 15038 Translation Services - Service Requirements; German version EN 15038: 2006, p. 11.
- ↑ DIN EN 15038 Translation Services - Service Requirements; German version EN 15038: 2006, p. 12.
- ↑ DIN EN 15038 Translation Services - Service Requirements; German version EN 15038: 2006, p. 12.
- ↑ DIN EN 15038 Translation Services - Service Requirements; German version EN 15038: 2006, p. 13.