When a legalisation chain is completed, what remains is not only the delivered document: which steps were carried out on which date, which authority asked for what and which decisions were taken also accumulate. This record markedly speeds up the same client's next file.
Scope of the archive
The translation, a copy of the source document, the declaration and the certification records are kept together. A fragmented archive is of no use. Integrity is preserved.
Chain record
Which steps were carried out on which date is written down. The record is used in later planning. The information is specific.
Authority details
Which verification was obtained from which authority is recorded. For the same type of document the route is repeated. The information gains value.
Records of expectations
The requirements set by the receiving organisation are noted. On a second application to the same organisation no questions need asking. The gain is direct.
Terminology decisions
The terminology decisions made in the document are recorded. The next translation uses the same renderings. Consistency is ensured.
Spelling of names
How the names of persons and institutions were written is kept. A difference in spelling halts the next procedure. The record protects.
Translator's notes
Illegible passages and the decisions made stay in the file. A question that arises later is answered from this record. The basis is preserved.
Copy details
How many copies were produced and where they were submitted is written down. Tracking remains possible later too. A system is put in place.
Date details
The date of the document and the dates of certification are recorded. The assessment of how current it is rests on this. The fields are filled in.
The digital and physical distinction
Which part is stored digitally and which physically is indicated. Confusion is avoided. The record is explicit.
Access rights
Who may access the archive is defined. Wide access creates a confidentiality risk. Authorisation is limited.
Confidentiality classification
Files containing special category personal data are marked separately. These files are protected more strictly. The distinction is applied.
Retention period
A retention period is defined for each type of document. Indefinite retention cannot be defended. The policy is written down.
Destruction arrangements
When the period expires, destruction is carried out and put on record. The record of destruction is asked for in an audit. A system is put in place.
Backup
The digital archive is backed up regularly. A loss wipes out years of accumulated knowledge. The backup is kept in a separate environment.
Ease of search
Files can be found by client, type of document and date. An archive that cannot be searched is not an archive. A system is put in place.
Linking to the translation memory
The texts of certified translations are also held in the translation memory. Later similar documents go faster. The link is made.
Making it available to the client
The client may ask for the record of their own file. It must be possible to meet the request. Access is defined.
Institutional knowledge
The certification files that accumulate over the years turn into a knowledge base showing which organisation asks for what in which form, and this knowledge cannot be bought from any source. The value lies in experience being put on record. This is why the archive is kept.
The costliest mistake
At this step the costliest mistake is not recording how the chain was run; when the same client comes back six months later with a similar file, all the questions are asked again and the experience has stayed with the individual, not the organisation. The record is completed as the job finishes. The step is not skipped.