The international standard for quality-assured machine translation post-editing services. As AI transforms translation, prove your MTPE processes meet global quality benchmarks. Certification in 2-4 weeks.
ISO 18587:2017, officially titled "Translation services -- Post-editing of machine translation output -- Requirements," is the international standard that defines requirements for the process of post-editing machine translation (MT) output. Published by the International Organization for Standardization, it provides a framework for language service providers (LSPs) and post-editors to ensure that machine-translated content meets specified quality levels after human post-editing.
In a world where ChatGPT, DeepL, Google Translate, and other AI-powered translation engines are producing increasingly fluent output, the need for standardized post-editing processes has never been greater. Enterprises are adopting MT at unprecedented rates to reduce costs and speed up delivery, but they need assurance that the final output meets their quality requirements. ISO 18587 provides that assurance.
The standard addresses a critical gap in the translation industry: while ISO 17100 covers traditional human translation services, the growing use of machine translation required a dedicated framework that acknowledges the unique challenges and competences involved in post-editing. ISO 18587 fills this gap by defining post-editor qualifications, distinguishing between full and light post-editing, and establishing quality requirements for MT post-editing services.
The rise of neural machine translation and large language models has fundamentally changed the translation landscape. Here is why ISO 18587 certification is experiencing unprecedented demand:
One of the most important distinctions in ISO 18587 is between full post-editing and light post-editing. Understanding this distinction is essential for both service providers and their clients:
| Aspect | Full Post-Editing | Light Post-Editing |
|---|---|---|
| Quality target | Comparable to human translation | Understandable and accurate for purpose |
| Style & fluency | Fully natural, publication-ready | Acceptable, may retain some MT patterns |
| Terminology | Fully compliant with client glossaries | Key terms corrected, minor issues tolerated |
| Formatting | Complete formatting compliance | Basic formatting preserved |
| Use cases | Marketing, legal, published content | Internal docs, gisting, knowledge bases |
| Effort level | Higher, more comprehensive review | Lower, focused on essential corrections |
ISO 18587 requires that the level of post-editing (full or light) be clearly agreed upon with the client before work begins. This agreement must include the intended use of the translated content, the expected quality level, and any specific client requirements. This upfront clarity prevents misunderstandings and ensures both parties have aligned expectations.
In the age of AI translation, ISO 18587 certification is your competitive advantage.
Position your agency at the forefront of the AI translation revolution. Clients adopting MT need certified MTPE partners, and ISO 18587 proves you can deliver quality-controlled AI-augmented translation at scale.
MT engines produce fluent but not always accurate output. ISO 18587 certification demonstrates that your post-editing processes systematically catch and correct errors, ensuring MT output meets defined quality thresholds.
MTPE services represent one of the fastest-growing segments of the language industry. Certification enables you to offer premium MTPE services with documented quality guarantees, capturing a growing market with higher margins than commodity MT alone.
The standard defines specific competence requirements for post-editors, including MT literacy. Certification ensures your team has the specialized skills needed to work effectively with MT output, going beyond traditional translation skills.
ISO 18587 includes requirements for evaluating MT engine suitability. This means your agency has documented processes for assessing which MT engines work best for which language pairs and domains, leading to better outcomes.
MTPE enables higher throughput than pure human translation. With certified processes, you can scale your output while maintaining quality, handling larger volumes and tighter deadlines that would be impossible with human-only workflows.
ISO 18587 builds on the foundation established by ISO 17100 while adding specific requirements unique to machine translation post-editing. Here are the core areas covered by the standard:
ISO 18587 defines specific competences that post-editors must demonstrate, going beyond traditional translator qualifications:
Before post-editing work begins, the standard requires several preparatory steps:
The production requirements cover the actual post-editing workflow:
ISO 18587 is designed to complement ISO 17100, not replace it. While ISO 17100 covers traditional human translation services, ISO 18587 addresses the specific needs of MT post-editing. Many of the foundational requirements overlap, including translator competence, project management, and quality management. Agencies that already hold ISO 17100 certification will find that many of the ISO 18587 requirements are already met through their existing processes, making dual certification a logical and efficient step.
A streamlined path to proving your MTPE quality, especially fast if you already hold ISO 17100.
We evaluate your current MTPE workflows, post-editor qualifications, MT engine evaluation processes, and quality management practices against ISO 18587 requirements. You receive a detailed readiness report highlighting any gaps that need to be addressed.
1-2 daysWe provide MTPE-specific documentation including post-editor competence verification templates, MT engine evaluation procedures, full/light post-editing guidelines, and quality criteria checklists. You adapt these to your specific operations and MT tools.
3-7 daysQualified auditors review your MTPE processes remotely, examining post-editor qualifications, sample post-editing projects, MT engine evaluation records, client agreements, and quality management documentation. The audit is thorough but efficient.
1-2 daysUpon successful completion, your ISO 18587 certificate is issued. You can immediately use the certification in your marketing, proposals, and client communications. Certification is valid for 3 years with annual surveillance.
2-3 daysPosition your agency as a leader in AI-augmented translation with certified MTPE quality.
Enterprises adopting MT need partners who can guarantee post-editing quality. Certification makes you the obvious choice for organizations investing in AI-powered translation workflows.
Certified MTPE processes enable your team to handle significantly higher volumes than pure human translation, allowing you to take on larger projects and meet tighter deadlines.
As MT technology continues to improve, the demand for quality MTPE services will only grow. Certification positions your agency for long-term relevance in an AI-transformed industry.
Dual certification demonstrates that your agency excels at both traditional human translation and modern AI-augmented workflows, covering the full spectrum of client needs.
The certification process establishes documented procedures for evaluating MT engines, ensuring you always use the best tool for each language pair and domain combination.
Many clients are hesitant about MT quality. Your certification provides the assurance they need to confidently adopt MT-powered workflows, knowing that post-editing is handled to international standards.
Everything you need to know about ISO 18587 certification for machine translation post-editing.
Full post-editing aims to produce output comparable to human translation quality -- publication-ready, stylistically polished, with full terminology compliance and natural fluency. It is suitable for marketing materials, legal documents, and any content intended for external publication. Light post-editing focuses on making the MT output understandable and accurate for its intended purpose, without necessarily achieving the same stylistic polish. It is appropriate for internal documents, knowledge bases, gisting, and content where conveying meaning accurately is more important than stylistic perfection. The choice between full and light must be agreed upon with the client before work begins.
No, ISO 18587 can be obtained independently of ISO 17100. However, the two standards complement each other well, and many agencies pursue both. ISO 18587 references ISO 17100 for translator competence requirements, so if your post-editors already meet ISO 17100 translator qualifications, you have a head start. We recommend pursuing both certifications for the most comprehensive quality credentials, and TranslationCert offers bundled packages that make dual certification efficient and cost-effective.
Absolutely. ISO 18587 is more relevant than ever in the era of advanced AI translation tools. Whether you use neural MT engines like DeepL and Google Translate, or large language models like ChatGPT and Claude for translation tasks, the standard provides a framework for ensuring post-edited output meets quality requirements. The standard is technology-agnostic -- it focuses on the post-editing process and quality outcomes rather than specific MT engines. This makes it equally applicable whether you are using traditional NMT, transformer-based models, or the latest LLMs.
With TranslationCert, typical certification takes 2-4 weeks from application to certificate issuance. Agencies that already hold ISO 17100 certification may complete the process faster due to significant overlap in requirements, particularly in translator competence documentation, project management processes, and quality management systems. The timeline depends on your current process maturity and how quickly your team can implement any recommended changes.
Post-editors must demonstrate five core competences: (1) Translation competence, meeting the same requirements as translators under ISO 17100 including recognized education or equivalent experience; (2) Linguistic competence in both source and target languages; (3) MT literacy, including understanding of how MT systems work, their error patterns, and limitations; (4) Domain expertise relevant to the content being post-edited; and (5) Post-editing skills, including the practical ability to efficiently identify and correct MT errors. TranslationCert provides competence assessment templates and guidance to help you document and verify these qualifications for your team.
The standard requires that TSPs have documented procedures for evaluating MT engine suitability for specific projects. This includes assessing the engine's performance for the relevant language pair, domain, and content type. The evaluation should consider factors like accuracy, fluency, terminology handling, and the overall effort required for post-editing. Agencies must be able to demonstrate that they select appropriate MT engines based on objective criteria rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach.
Yes, ISO 18587 is commonly combined with other certifications for a comprehensive quality portfolio. The most natural pairing is with ISO 17100 (translation services), which together covers both human and AI-augmented translation. Additional combinations include ISO 9001 (quality management), ISO 27001 (information security), and ISO 21999 (translation quality assurance). TranslationCert offers multi-standard packages that reduce the time and cost of achieving multiple certifications.