Translation Jobs in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Services Chosen for Their Low Price but Also Low Quality
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, there is only one certified translation agency that adheres to ISO 9001 and EN 15038 standards—proposals for EU-funded projects and documentation for correspondence with representatives of the European Commission must be professionally translated.
Since 2001, when Croatia signed the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), up until today, with just a few weeks remaining before its accession to the European Union, it is important to recognize that behind the efforts of Croatian officials who prepared the accession documents stood a team of expert translators who played a crucial role in finalizing the process.
In just a few weeks, Croatian will become one of the official languages of the European Union. For Croatia to succeed in all aspects of its EU accession process, including translations, those involved in the process did not focus solely on the lowest translation prices but prioritized the quality of translations in line with the EU’s terminology database.
By implementing quality management systems according to the international ISO 9001 standard and the European translation standard EN 15038—ensuring professional management of all translation projects as well as the expertise and competence of personnel—Croatian translation agencies provided their clients with a level of security that could be verified at any time.
“Implementing an integrated quality management system is neither simple nor cheap, but if we are committed to high-quality translations, it is the only way forward,” says Tihana Puzić, owner of the translation agency Profis, who is also a certified court interpreter for German and English.
“Since introducing certified business operations, following the example of translation agencies in Croatia, our cooperation with companies from Croatia, Slovenia, as well as France and Austria, has doubled. We take great pride in professionally representing translations from and into the Bosnian language in neighboring countries. As a small company from Bosnia and Herzegovina, we serve as an example that a commitment to quality opens new markets,” Profis reports.
“Translation is a complex and demanding process that requires not only knowledge of a foreign language but also a high level of expertise from translators and well-coordinated work. Unfortunately, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, translation is still perceived as merely transferring text from one language to another. Translation jobs are often given to anyone who ‘knows the language,’ and documents sent to high-ranking institutions are frequently inadequately translated, full of errors, and not aligned with the target language’s style,” the agency states further.
“Institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to choose translation service providers based on low prices, but this comes at the cost of poor translation quality. We receive many translations from various institutions that were completed by unqualified individuals and later returned as inadequate, ultimately increasing costs for these institutions. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, quality is still not a priority; instead, translations are often rushed and offered at prices that are not acceptable for professional translators,” the agency emphasizes.
One thing is certain: Croatia’s accession to the European Union will open many doors for EU-funded projects, for which professional translations of project documentation are required. Whether and when translations from Bosnia and Herzegovina will match the quality of those from neighboring countries remains to be seen.
“Translations are often the first business card an institution presents to its target audience, so those who care about success will always pay attention to the quality of their translations and presentations. In Bosnia and Herzegovina’s case, this would be a significant step forward in the EU integration process,” Puzić from Profis concludes.
