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Article published In:
The Role of ISO/TC 37 Standards for Translators, Interpreters, Terminologists and Beyond
Edited by Hendrik J. Kockaert
[Digital Translation 10:2] 2023
► pp. 200–232

An in-context overview of legal translator competences, qualifications and other professional requirements set in the ISO 20771:2020 Legal translation – Requirements standard

ORCID logo | University of Warsaw

This article provides an overview of legal translator competences, qualifications and other professional requirements set in the ISO 20771:2020 standard. References to existing frameworks, such as European Qualifications Framework (EQF) and some research, complementary ISO standards (notably ISO 17100:2015) and current industry best-practice offer relevant context and background information, and identify the gap that has been filled by this important standard.

The author demonstrates that ISO 20771:2020 is a good example of a requirements standard developed for the translation industry that is up-to-date, reflects actual industry best-practice, and addresses a need for standardization of legal translator requirements for the purpose of certification. It is posited here that ISO 20771:2020 is a valuable resource for all stakeholders as it not only provides accurate information about standard market requirements for legal translation (and translation in general) but also contributes to translators’ professionalization by setting objective professional benchmarks. Additionally, ISO requirements standards are, by definition, pragmatic and operational, and therefore easier to validate through conformity assessment and certification than any other resources, and hence both the industry and academia can only benefit from increased ISO standards uptake.

The overview of legal translator competences, qualifications and other professional requirements set in the ISO 20771:2020 standard reflects the ISO approach to setting translator requirements, and outlines some of the practical implications of translation industry standardization and certification in the hope that it might become the starting point for more discussions on this subject in the future.

Keywords: legal translation, legal translator, translator competences and qualifications, ISO 20771, ISO 17100, EQF, translation best practice, requirements, CPD, ISO certification
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.ISO and translation standards – some background information
  • 3.ISO translation standards and the EQF
  • 4.Translator requirements – some relevant research, ISO 17100 and ISO 20771
  • 5.Legal translator competence – relevant research
  • 6.ISO 20771 overview
  • 7.Other relevant ISO 20771 requirements
  • 8.Conclusions
  • 9.Future perspectives
  • References
Published online: 15 December 2023
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/dt.00008.pop
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