Vade Mecum Public Tenders Interpreters

Translation and interpretation are human activities with an added value which are not widely known about. All of us have already seen stories in the press about funny, embarrassing or even dramatic cases of translation and interpretation fails.

The vade mecums are mostly intended for public bodies purchasing translation and/or interpretation services: in these documents highlighting best industry practices, the authors of tender specifications can find guidelines which will lead to good cooperation with the contractor and maximum satisfaction on the part of the contracting authority.

To support the authors of tender specifications, the vade mecums provide an overview of the prerequisites for high-quality cooperation and premium services in the field of translation and conference interpreting. They give a detailed description of the different types of service which the contracting authority can benefit from when outsourcing translation or interpretation, and clearly outline the essential contents of tender specifications. Finally, the documents also deal with the different criteria which can be used to assess quotes.

Examples of templates including these best practices can be found on the BQTA and BKVT/CBTI websites.