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In today’s digital age, data security concerns are at the forefront of most business decisions. While companies may have direct internal supervision over their data, working with third parties is unavoidable, which makes maintaining control over sensitive information much more challenging.
Language service providers (LSPs) in particular are often among the first to gain access to sensitive information. Be it internal procedures, press releases, medical records, financial reports, or other classified documents that need to be translated or proofread, LSPs must be fully committed to their clients’ data security.
The documents mentioned above represent just a small example of texts that could cause an individual or business a number of problems if publicly released: intellectual property theft, compliance issues, financial damage, reputational harm, or legal consequences, to name just a few. At the same time, it is likely that these types of documents will require translation, especially if a company operates internationally or has to answer to regulatory authorities in several countries.
It is therefore crucial to choose a translation partner that takes these concerns seriously and will handle your sensitive data with utmost care. How can you make sure your documents will not fall into the wrong hands?
Four ways LSPs safeguard your documents
- Secure file handling processes
Documents received electronically should pass through secure channels, such as encrypted portals, password-protected platforms, or trustworthy cloud sharing services. The same holds true for exchanging documents with subcontractors, such as freelance translators or designers.
Once the documents are received, they should be stored locally on the LSP’s own, regularly maintained, and secure servers. Access must be limited by authorised personnel only, who are bound by non-disclosure agreements – this applies to project managers, linguists, and any other team members that need to work on them.
- Trustworthy technology and tools
In addition to secure communication channels, any reputable LSP will also work with modern software, such as CAT (computer-assisted translation) tools and translation management systems. At Alamma, we use an in-house information system that makes all client documents easy to store and manage, while keeping them safe and only accessible to authorised employees. Our IT partner stores all data on secure, regularly maintained, and backed-up servers, located in Slovenia.
- Linguist vetting
All our external partners, such as freelance linguists, are carefully selected based on their expertise and experience and are bound by cooperation agreements and NDAs. These strictly forbid them from disclosing the documents received for translation to any unauthorised third party or discussing their content.
- Compliance with regulations
Data protection regulations, such as the GDPR, must be strictly followed, as well as any internal client procedures, stipulated by regularly reviewed written agreements. Compliance with regulations at Alamma is periodically checked by client audits. As a long-standing partner to leading global medical and pharmaceutical companies, our commitment to safeguarding their data and complying with their rigorous QA processes must never waver.
How you can avoid data exposure
Working with a trustworthy LSP is definitely the best way to ensure your documents will be translated securely. Nowadays you may be tempted to take care of some basic translation needs on your own with the help of machine translation tools (MT) or AI. However, most of these web-based tools do not guarantee sufficient data security and may even use your texts for machine learning, which means that anything you upload or paste may be stored and accessed by unauthorised third parties. It is therefore not advised to share any sensitive information that may compromise you or your company with online translation tools, as tempting as it may be to quickly translate a paragraph or two at no cost.
Responsible LSPs that offer services such as post-edited machine translations or use automations as part of their process will strictly opt for highly secure providers that locally train and store their own dedicated MT engines, and not freely accessible and generally unreliable online translators. Before ordering MT services from a language provider, make sure to ask which tools they use and how they ensure data security – the cheapest option may end up being by far the most expensive.
Working with a reputable LSP will not only guarantee quality translations but also give you peace of mind that your sensitive information is handled with care and responsibility. When choosing a translation partner, select someone that inspires trust and allows you to focus on your business. For over 20 years, Alamma has collaborated and developed with a number of local and global companies from fields where confidentiality and data protection are non-negotiable. Get in touch and let us know how we can help you securely translate your documents!
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