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ISO 13611 – Community Interpreting Services

ISO 13611 is the international standard that addresses community interpreting activities during oral and signed communication by professional interpreting service providers that enables access to services for people who have limited proficiency in the language.

Meeting room - ISO 13611 Certifications

Orion is the only auditing firm specializing in the language industry in North America.

We work with over 300 language service companies and have been supporting Languages Canada members for over 10 years. We are currently the only firm endorsed by three language industry associations to audit their membership and offer certification to most of the commonly requested language industry standards.

Our vast and lengthy experience means that we truly know and understand the language industry, including its typical processes, software, and industry terminology. As a result, our auditing services are efficient and effective, and we will work with you to establish mutual goals up front to make sure your needs are fully met. If you are looking to certify to multiple standards, we also provide integrated audits so you can achieve certification to multiple standards in one audit (e.g. ISO17100 / CGSB 131.10 / ISO 9001), ultimately saving you both time and money. We also give back to the language industry by sponsoring industry events and providing free webinars on standards.

Why Work with Orion on ISO 13611?

Orion Assessment Services is a third-party certification company. Because we have actively supported and certified language organizations for over 15 years; we are well known and globally-recognized for our quality audit services and integrity.

Within the language industry, Orion has provided more audits for standards certifications than any other North American firm.

We are the only firm able to certify to all the following Language Industry Standards:

Why not combine your ISO 13611 audit with ISO 17100, CGSB 131.10, NSGCIS or any of the standards listed above? 

Breakdown of the ISO 13611 Standard

ISO 13611 establishes and provides the basic principles and practices necessary to ensure quality community interpreting services for all language communities, for end users, as well as for requesters, and service providers. It provides general guidelines that are common to all forms of community interpreting. This international standard is applicable to settings wherever speakers of non-societal languages need to communicate to access services.

The settings vary and can include, among others, the following:

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Public institutions (schools, universities, community centres, etc.)

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Human and social services (refugee boards, self-help centres, etc.)

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Healthcare institutions (hospitals, nursing homes, etc.)

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Business and industry (real estate, insurance, etc.)

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Faith-based organizations (rituals, ceremonies, etc.)

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Emergency situations (natural disasters, epidemics, etc.)

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Legal settings (police stations, courts, prisons, etc.)

Overview of the Audit Process

Orion Assessment Services can assist your organization in achieving certification from the initial application request, and through to the required stages which include:

Step 1:
Submit Application

1

Submit Application

This will serve as your agreement with Orion. The terms and conditions must be signed and returned to Orion along with any required deposit.

1

Step 2:
Book Your Audit

2

Book Your Audit

Determine a mutually agreeable time with your assigned auditor. 

2

Step 3:
Audit Conducted

3

Audit Conducted

The audit is conducted to ensure the system is implemented according to the requirements of the standard. The key deliverables from this stage include the onsite review report detailing positive aspects, weaknesses and areas for improvement and the recommendation regarding your certification. If there are any issues, they must be closed within the required timeline.

3

Step 4:
Certification Review

4

Certification Review

The results from the audit are assessed by a senior auditor to 

ensure a proper recommendation has been made. At this point, approval is given to issue a certificate.

4

Step 5:
Receive Your Certificate

5

Receive Your Certificate

The deliverable from this stage is the certificate. 

5

Step 6:
Maintenance Review

6

Maintenance Review

Every two years, Orion must conduct an onsite review to verify the management system continues to be maintained within the organization.

6

Step 1:
Submit Application

This will serve as your agreement with Orion. The terms and conditions must be signed and returned to Orion along with any required deposit.

1

Step 2:
Book Your Audit

Determine a mutually agreeable time with your assigned auditor. 

2

Step 3:
Audit Conducted

The audit is conducted to ensure the system is implemented according to the requirements of the standard. The key deliverables from this stage include the onsite review report detailing positive aspects, weaknesses and areas for improvement and the recommendation regarding your certification. If there are any issues, they must be closed within the required timeline.

3

Step 4:
Certification Review

The results from the audit are assessed by a senior auditor to 

ensure a proper recommendation has been made. At this point, approval is given to issue a certificate.

4

Step 5:
Receive Your Certificate

The deliverable from this stage is the certificate. 

5

Step 6:
Maintenance Review

Every two years, Orion must conduct an onsite review to verify the management system continues to be maintained within the organization.

6

Schedule a Consultation

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