What if you knew your industry so well that you could help shape its future?
That is exactly the opportunity Translate.One’s Head of Quality, Christiane Schaeffler, had when she participated in the annual ISO TC37 conference, held in Strasbourg, France, from May 25–29, 2026.
As an expert representing the language services industry, Christiane joined professionals from around the world to contribute to the ongoing development of the standards that help define quality, processes, and best practices across translation, interpreting, and language technology.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) develops globally recognized standards that provide frameworks for quality, consistency, safety, and trust across industries.
Within ISO, Technical Committee 37 (TC37) is responsible for language and terminology standards, covering areas such as translation, interpreting, language technology, and multilingual communication.
For language service providers, these standards play a critical role. They establish common expectations for quality management, service delivery, workflows, and professional responsibilities, helping organizations and clients work together with greater confidence and transparency.
At this year’s conference, Christiane participated in ISO/TC 37, Subcommittee 5, Working Group 1, which focuses on translation services and related technologies.
The group’s primary focus was the revision of two of the industry’s most important standards:
Both standards are being updated to reflect the significant changes that have taken place since their publication. Advances in machine translation, artificial intelligence, automation, and digital workflows have transformed how multilingual content is created and managed.
“As a translation service provider, we bring practical experience into the discussion,” explains Christiane. “We see firsthand how technology is changing workflows, how quality is managed in production environments, and what standards need to consider in order to remain relevant and implementable.”
One of the central themes of this year’s conference was the growing role of artificial intelligence in translation workflows.
As AI-powered solutions become increasingly common, experts discussed how quality can be maintained while allowing for greater flexibility in service delivery models.
A key topic was whether traditional quality assurance requirements, such as mandatory revision steps, should evolve to accommodate risk-based approaches that consider factors such as content type, intended use, technology deployment, and client requirements.
The discussions highlighted an important reality: AI does not eliminate the need for quality management, it increases the need for governance.
Organizations must carefully consider when AI-assisted workflows are appropriate, how risks are assessed, how human expertise is applied, and how quality is measured and maintained.
For language service providers, the challenge is not simply adopting AI, but integrating it responsibly within structured quality frameworks.
Translate.One’s participation in standards development ensures that practical operational knowledge is represented in the conversation.
As AI, machine translation, and automation continue to reshape the industry, standards must strike a careful balance between maintaining quality and supporting innovation.
By contributing insights from real-world production environments, Translate.One helps ensure that industry standards remain practical, relevant, and aligned with the realities of modern multilingual communication.
“We don’t just want to comply with standards,” says Christiane. “We want to help shape them. It’s our responsibility to contribute to a language industry that is professional, transparent, quality-driven, and prepared for the future.”
For Christiane, one of the most memorable moments of the conference came during a speech by Professor Alex Chengyu Fang, Chairperson of ISO/TC 37.
Reflecting on the standardization process, he drew a parallel between standards development and democracy itself: experts come together, debate, challenge ideas, compromise, and ultimately build consensus around frameworks that serve the wider community.
That perspective resonated deeply.
“Participating in ISO TC37 is a true honour because it allows us to contribute to the standards that shape and govern our industry,” says Christiane. “What struck me most this year was the realization that standardization is built on the same principles as democracy: we come together, we debate, we challenge each other, we compromise, and we search for common ground. From that process, we create frameworks that support quality, trust, and accountability across the language industry. Being part of that work on behalf of Translate.One is both meaningful and deeply inspiring.”
As the language industry continues to evolve, Translate.One remains committed not only to following best practices but also to helping define them.
