Conformiteit
We hereby declare as the board of Congrestolken that the implementation and maintenance of a quality management system is an essential part of our policy. We work in compliance with ISO 9001 and ISO 23155 (Conference Interpreting) and ISO 17100 (Translation Services). In order to guarantee the above, measures and procedures have been introduced and laid down.
We conform to the requirements of the system, as there are:
- The requirements and regulations as established for the ISO certifications for the above standards;
- The GDPR and Health and Safety rules and regulations;
- The Code of Professional Ethics and Professional Standards of our professional organization, AIIC. These include the rules of conduct for our organization and for the interpreters we employ.
Purpose
Congrestolken’s quality policy aims to meet the client’s expectations of our interpretation and translation services in a structural manner. The management, our staff and the freelance interpreters and translators deployed have a customeroriented and purposeful attitude. They know and subscribe to our quality objectives. Our quality system focuses on the control and continuous improvement of essential processes.
Through the quality system, the quality of services, the service itself and customer satisfaction can be maintained and improved. The board believes that a good quality of the organization, and thus the good quality of services, guarantees the continuity of the company.
Processes
In particular, the processes include:
- The preparation of an interpretation or translation assignment and responding to the client’s requirements, advising on the approach and the team composition for an assignment, and informing and optioning the appropriate interpreters or translators.
- Supervising an assignment on location or remotely and coordinating adjustments.
- Handling the assignment with an evaluation and billing.
Board
The Board of Congrestolken considers quality management and compliance with the ISO standards mentioned above to be an important part of its duties. It will evaluate this policy each year, adjust it and discuss the resulting improvements with all those directly involved. For this purpose, the board will also include input from the professional organization, AIIC.
Employees
In this, the board also expects cooperation from the staff and freelance interpreters and translators deployed by Congrestolken.
- The employees meet the knowledge requirements for interpreting assignments as expressed in Chapter 4 of ISO 23155: General provisions about conference interpreting.
- In addition, they work in accordance with Chapter 7: Requirements concerning the conference interpreting service provider (CISP) and Annex F: Customary practice when recruiting conference interpreters. The resources and processes required for this purpose are regularly reviewed and updated in consultation with the board.
- For translations, they comply with ISO 17100 part 3.1.7: Competencies of translation project managers.
Interpreters
Interpreters commit to:
- Chapter 6 of ISO 23155: Requirements and recommendations applicable to conference interpreters in connection with conference interpreting assignments.
- The AIIC Code of Professional Ethics and AIIC’s Professional Standards.
- Congrestolken’s General Conditions for Interpreters.
- Particularly important herein are the requirements for confidentiality and security of data and documentation. Each of our interpreters is assessed according to Chapter 5 of ISO 23155:
Competencies and qualifications of conference interpreters.
Translators
Translators and proofreaders on assignments from Congrestolken commit to ISO 17100 parts 3.1.3 to 3.1.6 regarding their professional competencies and qualifications.
We ensure that this declaration is revised or reaffirmed every three years.
Directors Statement v1.1 2, 21 november 2022