26 Jul /18

DATA = POWER, including – and especially – in the translation industry

DATA = POWER, including – and especially – in the translation industry - EVS Translations
DATA = POWER, including – and especially – in the translation industry – EVS Translations

Companies that regularly require translations often face the issue of whom to hire and what solution will best fit their needs: a freelance translator, a translation agency or a translation company with in-house translators?

Companies in the finance and legal sectors that are constantly processing personal and sometimes special categories of data for their clients and very confidential information want to – and have to – guarantee that this information will be protected. At the same time, they need to know that the data will be stored and processed safely – including during the translation process.

Unimaginable amounts of data are created every day and thoughtlessly entered into translation apps or entrusted to various translators without encryption. Very few people know who processes and analyses these data, where, for how long and for what purpose.

The task of a translator working freelance or through an agency is to transfer texts from one language to another, focusing mainly on the linguistic aspect of the work. The translator is not always aware of the importance of the necessary requirements concerning confidentiality and data security, such as the principles of the GDPR or the Data Protection Act. Translators rarely have the capacity for protecting data ownership and data security at their disposal, such as the mechanisms for effective access control, the locations in which metadata are stored and the management of keys. These include the encryption of e-mail traffic and SSL encryption, for example.

In addition, a single translator may not be able to employ the two-person rule. This involves the finished translation being verified by at least one additional qualified native speaker of the target language. For large-scale or multilingual translation projects, a single translator cannot manage overall coordination successfully alone due to the lack of language skills and capacity.

Added to this are issues of liability and the possible consequences of an ‘incorrect’ translation, which some translators cannot recognise because of their lack of legal knowledge. Freelance translators often do not have sufficient liability insurance.

However, what is much more important is that they may be unaware of the legally relevant question of whether the preparation of a translation is a service, a work contract or even a product to which product liability legislation would have to be applied with all the associated liability-related consequences.

Data security and translation services of the very highest quality have been integral to EVS Translations’ corporate culture for more than 25 years. The attitude that data constitute a core corporate value is one that is both expected and practised by Edward Vick, the company’s founder and managing director.

A team of 80 in-house translators and proofreaders works with more than 70 project managers and back-office employees to ensure that customer data remain in one location and are transferred into as many as 27 languages from there. The associated data centre is located in Germany and is certified to ISO 27001. In addition, the dedicated IT department monitors and logs all access activities involving the storage location and the corresponding encryption methods at all times. All technical and organisational facilities and processes are geared towards the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data, as well as the resilience of the systems.

The company’s own in-house legal department subjects the issues of liability and risk assessment to thorough legal scrutiny. The department explores all the possibilities of satisfactory insurance and reinsurance available to every area of a translation company.

Monitoring mechanisms, such as the two-person rule, providing employees with training in the European General Data Protection Regulation and maintaining confidentiality agreements with our employees, customers and suppliers take top priority and successfully promote awareness of data security and protection. Every employee at EVS Translations knows about the importance of handling data correctly and what precautions have to be taken in different instances.

Specialist expertise, professionally organised project management and back-office structures and people with legal and technical knowledge and skills at EVS Translations guarantee state-of-the-art handling of translation services.