ASTM INTERPRETATION STANDARD

Teresa Salazar

The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), an organization roughly equivalent to Europe's International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which sets standards for business, government and society, approved a guide to language interpretation services on March 10, 2001. More than three years in the making, the Standard Guide for Language Interpretation Services is now available to the general public.

F2089-01 Standard Guide for Language Interpretation Services was drafted by ASTM Subcommittee F15.34 on Language Interpreting, part of Committee F15 on Consumer Products. The committee was comprised of thirty members in the field of language service, including practitioners, professional organizations (NAJIT among them), commercial language agencies and academic institutions.

The Standard consists of fourteen double-column pages, covering the many factors to be considered when contracting or providing quality language services. It provides the user with a list of reference documents, terminology and definitions, and descriptions pertinent to the field. In addition, it outlines the appropriate standard working conditions for successful interpreting services in different settings. In the future, whenever anyone asks an interpreter to provide written proof that standard working conditions in the field of interpreting require (among other things) a second interpreter for lengthy assignments, the interpreter will be able to provide a copy of the ASTM Standard. Anyone interested in obtaining a copy of F2089-01 Standard Guide for Language Interpretation Services may do so through ASTM, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box c700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. Fax inquiries may be directed to 610-832-9555. E-mail may be sent to service@astm.org and the ASTM website, www.astm.org may also be consulted for information.