There’s no such thing as a certified translator
The United States, as opposed to some other countries, has no licensing authority governing who can and cannot translate. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics: “There is currently no universal form of certification required of interpreters and translators in the United States, but there are a variety of different tests that workers can take to demonstrate proficiency.”
The American Translators Association, the largest and most recognized translation organization offers translation examinations in several language pairs and specialties and awards accreditations called “ATA certification.”
A translator who has passed an ATA exam has demonstrated a certain level of proficiency as well as a seriousness about his profession. However, this accreditation does not in and of itself prove that he has the requisite experience to be a professional translator. This task is left to the screening process of the translation agency and to the integrity of the translator, who has an obligation to honestly state when a text is over his head.
This is not to discount the importance of the ATA; no single entity has done more to achieve industry standards in an industry that, with all its subjectivity, defies standardization. But the reality is that there are some truly exceptional translators that are not affiliated with the ATA.
Certified interpreters, on the other hand, exist.
A person who translates a written document into another language is a translator; her oral counterpart is an interpreter, and interpreters can be court certified.
But this is misleading. Federal certification exists in only three languages: Spanish, Haitian Creole and Navajo. I know interpreters and attorneys who have been flustered by opposing counsel trying to trip them up on the certification issue despite the fact that, in their jurisdiction and language pair, no certification exists.
State courts on the other hand are attempting to band together in a consortium to test and certify interpreters in many more languages but this practice is still far from comprehensive.
NAJIT (National Association of Judicial Interpreters and Translators), like the ATA, offers its own certification: the National Judiciary Interpreter and Translator Certification (NJITC), the only nationwide certification exam developed exclusively by judiciary interpreters and translators.
According to interpreter David Mintz in his Frequently Asked Questions on the NAJIT website, certification for court interpreters “depends on where you are. In the states the situation varies widely. Some states (e.g., Washington, California, New Jersey) test interpreters of several languages. Many states have no certification at all. Some are trying.”
Both of these programs fill a need for standardization, a need that may one day be filled by programs on the state and federal levels. Until that day, ATA and NJITC certifications are undoubtedly a good start.
For more on this and other great client education tidbits, check out NOTIS (The Northwest Translators and Interpreters Society) here.
4 responses so far ↓
1 Kerilyn Sappington // Apr 16, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Another great topic, Glenn. I work exclusively as a translator but for years potential clients have asked me if I am “certified.” It was only in the past year so that the ATA changed the name from accreditation to certification. Not to mention the fact that the ATA does not accredit or certify my language pair, Chinese into English. Yet and still, uncertified though I be, I have been translating for ten years. Even if they offered the test, what would I do at this point? Pay to take the test? I doubt it would bring me more work.
2 Glenn // Apr 16, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Kerilyn, thanks for the great comments. This definitely has led to some confusion for some clients I’ve spoken with, which is compounded by the fact that some agencies use the “only ATA certified translators” as a selling point. The screening process requires a little more thought than this, unfortunately. They’re are some poor translators who have passed the test and many good ones who haven’t, or haven’t taken it.
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