Quality backed by internationally recognized standards
High quality is one of those promises you will find on almost every language service provider’s website. But when everyone claims it, the words start to lose meaning. After all, nobody opens a website and proudly announces that their translations are “usually quite okay-ish”.
That’s why we decided to offer something more useful than just a promise – evidence.
As of March 2026, Portlingo is certified under two of the most important international standards in the translation and localization industry: ISO 17100:2015 and ISO 18587:2017, both issued by Kiwa, one of the world’s leading independent certification bodies.
One audit. Two standards. Zero non-conformities.
In simple terms, ISO 17100 sets the framework for professional human translation, while ISO 18587 makes sure machine translation output is reviewed, corrected and improved by qualified people before it reaches you.
What does ISO 17100 actually mean?
Think of ISO 17100 as the standard for professional human translation done properly.
No raw machine translation. No running your content through a tool and hoping for the best. Just qualified translators, proper research, subject-matter understanding and human judgment from start to finish.
Your content is handled by people who understand language, context, terminology and the little details that machines still tend to miss.
When your project needs human translation, we assign it to professional linguists who have been carefully selected, tested and proven in real projects.
Real linguists. Real research. Real human judgment. Funny how well that still works.
- What about ISO 18587?
ISO 18587 covers professional post-editing of machine translation output.
That means machine translation can be used as a starting point, but the final text is still reviewed, corrected and improved before delivery. Not by magic. Not by a second machine pretending to be smarter than the first one, but by qualified human post-editors.
Machine translation post-editing can be a very practical option when you need to handle large volumes, work with tight deadlines or keep costs under control. It works best for content where the main goal is to convey the message clearly and accurately, not to win awards for tone, style or beautifully polished language flow.
Typical examples include internal documentation, repetitive technical content, product information, support materials and other content that needs to be understandable, consistent and fit for purpose.
ISO 18587 does not mean uploading your content to Google Translate, fixing a few commas and calling it quality. A proper MTPE workflow still requires suitable source content, clear instructions, qualified post-editors, terminology checks and a good understanding of what the final text needs to achieve.
When MTPE is right, it can save time and budget. When it is wrong, it can create risk. Our job is to know the difference.
One more thing
Certifications don’t translate projects. People do.
Our certifications are a reflection of the work our translators, post-editors, project managers and quality specialists put in every day – making sure your content actually reads well in the target language, not just clears a spell-check.
Rigorous process and people who give a damn. That’s what quality looks like to us.
No empty promises. No mysterious black box. Just the right workflow, the right people and a project delivered properly.
Let’s talk about yours!