ASTM Designation: F15.48

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ASTM Designation F15.48

• Consumer-Oriented Guide to Quality Assurance in
  Translation and Localization

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What we will cover

• What is the ASTM and why is the ATA involved?
• Who is doing this?
• Other standards
• General information about the Guide
• Contents of the Consumer-Oriented Guide to
  Quality Assurance in Translation and Localization

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ASTM

• American Society for Testing and Materials, now
  known just as the ASTM
• One of the most recognized standards-setting body
  in the world.
• Technical Committees work on creating standards.

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Technical Subcommitte F15.48

• ASTM Committee F15 on Consumer Products
• Subcommittee F15.48 on Translation Services has
  direct responsibility for this guide.
• Composition includes academics, clients,
  professional associations, users and vendors.
• Has been working for 5 years.
• Many drafts. Has pass the first balloting with
  some comments.

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Other Standards

• ISO (Terminology, Localization Svcs., etc.)
• DIN Deutsches Institut fur Normung
• The ASTM approved the ASTM Standard Guide for
  Language Interpretation Services (ASTM Guide
  F2089-01). ASTM Committee in charge of
  interpreting standards included an ATA
  representative, and the ATA Board of Directors
  commented on the standard text in the last stages
  prior to the final vote.
• ASTM Guide F2089-01 can be purchased directly
  from the ASTM at www.astm.org for a nominal
  charge.
• Other standards are being developed.

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Dissecting the Standard

• Divided into sections according to fairly strict
  ASTM rules.
• Goal is to help the buyer understand how to
  obtain quality and for the vendors to understand
  how to deliver that quality.
• Not really a standard but a guide (ASTM
  requirements/definitions).

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Sections

• Scope
• Referenced Documents
• Introduction to Translation
• Terminology (definitions of terms used)
• A total of 39 terms are defined, ranging from
  consumer and translator to markup, machine
  translation and register
• Interesting part to work on, as many peoples
  definitions of certain terms were quite different
• Critical to integrity of document

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Sections, contd

• Significance and Use
• Audience
• Translation Supply Chain
• Consumer
• Requester
• Supplier Company/Companies
• Project Manager
• Translator
• Importance of Specifications
• Project Phases (Specifications, Production,
  Post-Project Review)

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Sections, contd

• Specifications Phase
• Source Text Specifications
• Source Language
• Subject Field
• Text Type
• Format
• Target Text Specifications
• Linguistic Specifications
• Adaptation and Localization
• Format, Style and Text Type

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Sections, contd

• Specifications Phase, contd
• Procedural Specifications
• Reference materials
• Leveraging
• Aligned texts
• Translation memory databases
• Terminology databases
• Legal, Ethical, Social and Financial Criteria
• Deliverables and Deadlines
• Ancillary Services

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Sections, contd

• Production Phase
• Specifications Agreement
• Terminology
• Translation
• Editing
• Formatting/Compilation
• Proofreading
• Quality Control

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Sections, contd

• Post Project Review
• Appendix (Related Reading)

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Questions
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THANK YOU!