Sworn Translations in Spain: Why Look at the Services of an ISO 17100-Certified Agency?
Posted by Sofia Levine
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21 Oct 2024 12:48:42 pm.
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Like many European entrepreneurs, you probably want to widen your range of services or products to a new audience. For this reason, most likely, you have identified Spain as the next region in which to expand your operations. However, there is a problem: even though it is a member country of the EU, and businesses operating here benefit from international recognition, the legality of your professional activities will depend on the translation services you use for your documentation. Do you want your paperwork to be admissible in court, avoid issues with local authorities, and start your operations without further delays? Then, according to the legislation, you will need to use sworn translations in Spain.
Known as “traducciones juradas,” sworn translations are official translations that benefit from legal validity and have been performed by an agency or individual recognized by the MAEUEC. Certified translations are necessary for interpreting commercial and legal documentation and come with the signature and official seal of sworn translators. Moreover, in accordance with Spanish law, the legal responsibility for the accuracy of the translated documentation lies with the sworn translator, who can be held financially and legally accountable for errors not identified during the review process of the submitted paperwork.
Why Browse the Offers of an ISO 17100-Certified Company?
ISO 17100:2015 is an international standard that sets the requirements and procedures that translation agencies must follow to conduct their activities at a national or global level. ISO 17100-certified companies must follow strict quality control guidelines while reviewing the submitted documentation and are staffed only by competent and experienced translators with direct expertise in interpreting the subjects discussed in the analyzed texts. Why go for a sworn translator who benefits from ISO 17100 certification? Ultimately, it’s a matter of quality assurance.
ISO 17100 certification demonstrates that the firm you are contacting utilizes internal quality control processes to ensure the accuracy of the output work. Moreover, the ISO 17100 standard includes guidelines for ensuring the confidentiality of the submitted documentation, defines the process for administering translation work frameworks, specifies the appropriate use of CAT tools alongside manual verifications, and ensures client satisfaction by providing a guideline for continuous service improvements.
In other words, the translation companies that obtain this type of qualification benefit from the resources necessary to ensure the quality of the translation work and enjoy both international recognition and legal validation as long as they obtain national certification from the governmental institutions in the countries in which they operate. Do you want your company's activities to proceed without legal hindrance? Are you looking to migrate part of your services from your home country to Spain? Do you want to avoid dealing with national authorities? If so, you will have to utilize the offerings of certified translation agencies that preferably benefit from internationally recognized accreditation.
Why Should You Look for the Services of Human Translators?
The translation services performed with the help of artificial intelligence have evolved significantly in recent years, and in some cases, the documentation analyzed with their help can be as accurate as that translated by professional human linguists. However, despite the massive reduction in quality differences between human work and AI-based translations over the last five years, there is still a significant difference in the reliability and identification of contextual cues. Humans, at least for now, are better at understanding the subtle nuances behind the analyzed texts and can identify cultural references or variations in the idiomatic expressions of the submitted texts that AI-based programs may omit.
An AI-based application will understand the tone and context behind a text nine times out of ten. However, a certified translator who follows the quality-control procedures laid out in an easy-to-follow standard should ensure a translation accuracy close to 100%. Sure, no text can be translated perfectly, as in all languages, some words or expressions do not have a direct equivalent. However, this is precisely the area where humans still have an edge over artificial intelligence.
It’s All About Creativity
Humans can adapt the translation work to the tone required by the target audience and can avoid making sworn translations that miss the intended meaning of the submitted texts. Moreover, humans are better at identifying and adapting texts to the cultural norms specific to certain regions. Ultimately, we are more flexible in adjusting the submitted documentation to the tonality required by particular audiences. AI-based programs are great for short translation work or for analyzing texts with low legal importance. However, if accuracy, reliability, and legal validity are your priorities, then you will need to utilize sworn translations in Spain offered by experienced human linguists.
Human translators are responsible for the accuracy of the translation work. In the case of significant interpretative errors that lead to substantial financial damages, they can be held legally accountable for the mistakes made. With AI-based programs, on the other hand, accountability is nonexistent, and there are no reliable systems through which errors in the submitted texts can be identified without human intervention. Translators employed by internationally recognized agencies double-check their work and perform countless revisions before the documentation is handed over to the client. This makes human-based services more reliable, which, in the legal space, is pretty much the only thing that matters.
When Should You Utilize Certified Translations?
Are you a European company that wants to expand its services into the Spanish market? In such a case, according to national laws, your documentation must be translated with the help of a professional sworn translator. Known as “traductor jurado,” sworn translators are professionals authorized by the Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación to perform translations of official documentation with legal validity. The documentation translated by Spanish-based sworn translators is legally binding, recognized by courts or notaries, and is accompanied by the signature and official seal of the agency that handled its analysis.
Sworn translations are more expensive than those offered by non-certified agencies, and the price difference is due to the quality of the work and the accreditation that certified translators must obtain before they can handle the analysis of official legal-binding documentation. To become a Spanish-based sworn translator, applicants must pass a rigorous exam designed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, present their proficiency in at least two languages of international circulation, and demonstrate legal knowledge.
The examination process is meticulous, and the pass rate is low. However, that’s by design. Spanish-based sworn translators are required to handle official documents whose interpretation must be perfect. Moreover, they are legally responsible for the accuracy of the submitted texts. Nevertheless, Spain is not the only European country that applies a system of sworn translators. In Germany, such activities are certified by regional courts, while similar systems can be found in the Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, and France.
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