Become a Certified Translator

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Success is something that everyone hopes to achieve in their lifetime, but only a few of us end up becoming famous in our respective fields. The reason behind that is not everyone is ready to put in the effort required for achieving success. No one becomes world-famous overnight. People have to work tirelessly for years in order to climb the ladder of success.

Along with putting in the effort behind gaining experience, it is also necessary to pass high-level examinations to get certificates and diplomas. This practice can be observed in almost every field. For translators, the highest honor is clearing the certification examination of ATA.

Purpose Behind the Examination: There are a lot of experienced professionals in the language industry who are not certified, which makes people wonder what the purpose of the examination designed by ATA is. The association created the test to measure the translation skills of linguistic professionals. The examination seeks to answer four questions related to the field. Here are they: •

Is the translation according to the instructions?

Just like in a real-life scenario where clients give instructions to experts, ATA gives guidelines to everyone taking the examination. If the resulting document complies with the instructions, only then is it considered good. It must match the style and wording of similar documents written in the target language. It must also contain all the relevant information in the given context.

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•

Does the translation prove that the translator understood the purpose, content, and argument of the passage?

This is measured by checking whether or not the linguistic expert was able to use dictionaries competently. It is also observed whether all the important data from the source text was included in the final translation or not. If the target text is in accordance with the presented information on all levels, that proves that a thorough understanding of the source material was developed before working on it.

•

Were translation strategies followed during the completion of the task?

The answer to this question can be acquired by observing the translation to see if it is appropriate for the target audience or not. This includes replacing idioms from the source text with phrases that mean the same thing in the target language. Writing an unambiguous text is also pretty important.

•

Does the translation show good writing skills in the target language?

The answer to this will be in affirmative if there are no grammatical errors in the text, and it flows smoothly.

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The Examination: It is important to learn everything you can about the examination before you appear for it because that way, you will be able to mentally prepare for it. It will be a three-hour-long open book test. Candidates will be offered three passages of 225 to 275 words each and given a chance to choose two out of them for translation.

Although some terminology will be included in the passages, highly complicated terms will not appear on the test. Translation instructions will also be provided to the candidates. They will be the equivalent of the real-life instructions from clients. The instructions will be different for each passage. They will help the candidates in figuring out the tone they should maintain in their translation.

Evaluation: Once the examination is completed, trained graders of ATA will evaluate each test. They will grade the tests according to the errors and what effect they had on the overall quality of the translation. Since this is a competitive exam, only a few candidates manage to clear it every year. The passing grade is considered equivalent to Level 3 of the IRL Skill Level Descriptions for Translation Performance.

How to Apply?

In order to apply for the test, you must be a member of the ATA. It is better to get registered as a member at least four weeks before the test. Your registration, along with a $525 fee, must be sent to the ATA headquarters at least two weeks before the test. You can access study material and take a practice test on the website of ATA. The practice test will help you figure out whether or not you are ready for the certification examination. Once you have registered, you will receive further instructions via email.

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One fact that you must keep in mind is that there is a limited sitting capacity for the examination. In metropolitan areas, the sitting capacity is filled weeks in advance. So, make sure you apply at least a month before the test.

How to Get a Refund?

In case you change your mind and wish to get a refund, make sure you apply before the day of the sitting. If your request reaches the headquarters after the sitting, you won’t be able to get a refund. You will have to pay a fee of $25 to request a refund. You can send your request for a refund to the certification program manager.

Many famous translators happily work in the field without getting the title of certified. There are various reasons why someone would not take the examination. But lack of time is one of the biggest reasons. However, if someone could take out time from their schedule and attempt to clear this test, they will never regret it. Even if someone fails to clear the test, it will still be a great learning experience for them. But if candidates reach out to their seniors for guidance, they just might end up succeeding in becoming certified.

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