Fearless Translation: Gain Peace of Mind About Secure Document Handling

Has your organization used professional translation services in the past? Or, are they searching for translation services for the first time, to accomplish exciting new organizational goals?

A primary concern for most organizations seeking language support is SECURITY. They fear what could happen if their documents are not handled securely – ruined reputations, privacy violations, legal repercussions, etc. These fears drive the anxiety and prompt the questions:

How can a language services provider (LSP) ensure that documents are handled securely?

Exactly what security measures do they take during the translation process?

Let us explore several areas of secure document handling that need to be discussed with your current or potential LSP in order to ensure your peace of mind during the translation process.

Secure Processes

Professional translation involves processes that include uploading, downloading, sending, and receiving target documents – MULTIPLE times. That is a lot of sharing!

Most LSPs use translation management platforms that include a variety of features including translation memory, terminology management, quality assurance, and more. Some also use tools for managing projects and bookkeeping procedures, which include document handling.

Each tool & platform contains unique security features, essential for secure document handling.

How do you know if your LSP utilizes these tools? ASK!

Find out which tools they use and what security measures are taken to protect the information in your documents. Such measures can include, for example: data encryption, privacy measures, and data access control.

Customized Security Solutions

Organizations highly focused on data confidentiality may need to take extra measures to secure information – and an experienced LSP will be flexible and adaptable to those needs.

For example, medical offices have to adhere to strict HIPAA privacy standards. If they need translation of documents that contains a patient’s sensitive health information, customized security measures MUST be agreed upon before translation begins.

If your organization has specialized security needs, here are some additional security measures to consider and discuss with your current or potential LSP:

• Encrypted emails
• Working with limited-access (“locked”) documents
• Use of secure file-sharing tools such as ShareFile
• Use of secure FTP servers
• Granting limited access to your organization’s internal system
• Obtaining direct access into the LSP’s secure project management software platform

Experienced LSPs recognize the critical nature of keeping their clients’ information and data secure and should be MORE than willing to customize solutions geared to the specific needs of those clients.

Gaining peace of mind over document security is 100% attainable when you ask the right questions and discuss candidly your specific needs with a qualified LSP.