Translation quality gained through the implementation of the iso en 17100:2015 and the usage of the blockchain

Abstract

Abstract The iso en 17100:2015 (Translation Services – Requirements for Translation Services) is a quality standard including a set of provisions (requirements and recommendations) for all the core aspects of the translation process, considered as an industrial asset. Its main (or, rather, its only) goal is the implementation of a series of activities deemed as necessary for the delivery of a quality translation end-product, on the assumption that a quality process leads ineluctably to a quality end-product. The standard’s provisions do not refer to what is in Spain known as traducción jurada (sworn translation). This paper addresses what the standard leaves out: a proposal for the implementation of its provisions, combined with the usage of the blockchain1 and other disruptive technologies to sworn translation, by focusing on the illustrative case of Spain. It discusses the applicable regulations concerning sworn translation and sworn translation standardization and explores the methods through which the combined application of a functional translation methodological framework, the provisions of the iso en 17100:2015 standard, a standardized macrotextual pattern and a number of security devices and disruptive technologies might contribute to building a quality management system in the domain of sworn translation.