Transparency

My clients require high-quality documents. Obviously.

Unfortunately, it's not always easy for them to know what constitutes quality, especially when it comes to translations to a foreign language. Often clients view my work through the lens of their own bilingual staff, relatives, or acquaintances whose knowledge of the target language may be sketchy (even if they are native speakers). So how do we define quality? I believe that a major component of quality is transparency. Transparency means defining every aspect of the work process as clearly and explicitly as possible so that everyone can see the work that is done and compare it to the work that should be done according to established standards.

I achieve transparency by:

• Documenting all processes and giving clients access to these documents. The documentation process begins with a detailed quotation and job specifications. Our Policies and Procedures section specifies documentation requirements and deliverables for all of the services we offer.
• Meeting or exceeding international standards. International standards help consumers and service providers define quality, especially quality in processes.
• Developing, implementing, and publishing internal policies and procedures. International standards give us general guidelines; internal policies and procedures give us detailed operational guidelines. For example, AA Nuncio has developed a set of guidelines for evaluating and correcting documents. These guidelines draw from a wide variety of sources, including published style guides. We share these guidelines with our clients so that we have a common yardstick for measuring performance.