In-house Staff Selection Criteria
Our minimum requirements, before a translator joins our in-house team, are:

• a university degree, e.g. BA in Translation.
• for specialised translations, a university degree or work experience in the relevant area, e.g. BSc in Biology.
• a post graduate degree in the subject area is optional but highly desirable.
• a language degree in the source language e.g. Certificate of Proficiency in English.
• at least 2 years professional experience in translation or a related field.
• success in a series of tests, taken in our offices, showing translation competence, accuracy, consistency and proper register in the particular subject area. Our criteria exceed those of the Institute of Linguists’ Postgraduate Diploma in Translation.
• after a successful 2-month period under the guidance of an experienced in-house specialist, the translator joins our in-house team.

Only one in about one hundred prospective translators initially makes it to our translator short list before s/he is finally accepted to be employed in-house. That is the reason why, despite a high demand for our services, we have adopted a rather slow model of expansion.

QA Procedures
The standard procedures we follow for quality control are:

1. When a project is received, it is first inspected by administration staff for any obvious problems or flaws. If everything is found in order, an internal job form, with all project specifications and any special instructions, is prepared. If there is a problem, the client is contacted immediately so that the problem is resolved. The project folder is then passed on from the Project Manager to the Dept. Manager.

2. The Dept. Manager assigns the project to the most experienced specialist in the particular field. The Dept. Manager, together with the translator, calculate how many hours/days it will take to complete the project, with at least 2 proof-readings. The work must finish well in advance, so that there is plenty of time for another proof-reading by a second language specialist. Translators usually produce only about 8-10 pages per day. Their pay is never based on the volume of work they produce. Translators receive quality bonuses only.

3. Support. If the translator encounters a specific problem, we try to solve it in-house using our own resources. These include all English-to-Greek lexicography and the usual English-only references, both in book and electronic form. We also use many European Union Publications.

4. If a problem cannot be solved using our in-house resources, we refer it to our external specialists. If, despite our efforts, we find no satisfactory answer to a problem, a query is sent to the client.

5. When the translator has finished the translation, including at least a full round of his/her own proof-reading, a second in-house language specialist, who is also experienced in the particular subject area, proof-reads the final text.

6. The proof-reader and the translator meet to discuss possible changes. If there is a particularly difficult or sensitive query, a third specialist —usually the Production Manager— is called in.

7. The translator implements the proof-reader's changes and prints a new copy of the project, which is passed on to the proof-reader, who makes sure all his/her changes have been duly implemented.

8. The translator and proof-reader sign the job form and return the project to the Project Manager.

9. The project is inspected by the Project Manager to ensure all specifications and special instructions have been duly followed.

10. Administration staff then forward the project to the client by email, fax, mail or any combination of the above, as required by the client.

Confidentiality
All work we undertake is treated as highly confidential. All in-house staff are bound by very strict confidentiality agreements. No member of staff is allowed to copy or take any electronic or hard copy documents out of the office.