What Does "Certified Translation" Mean?
Posted on Tue, Feb 02, 2010
BLOG POST BY: Pam, our Chief Operations Officer
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As a language services company, clients frequently ask us to provide "certified" interpreters and/or translators for specific projects and languages. Many times, it's obvious that the client has heard the term "certified," but may not fully comprehend what this means or the limitations of such.
My first blog in this series will focus on translator certification programs, while the second will address interpreter certification. But first, a basic definition of the difference between the work of an interpreter versus that of a translator for, although the terms are often used interchangeably, there is a significant difference in the skill set required for each.
Translation: A translator's skill set is with the written word and being able to capture the essence of a source language document and communicate its meaning in the target language, using that language's rules, spelling and sentence structure. Typically, translator certification exams focus on a translator's comprehension of the source language text, translation techniques, and writing skills in the target language.
Interpretation: An interpreter works with the spoken word, transferring speech from a source language into a target language. Typically, interpreter certification exams focus on an interpreter's ability to hear, analyze and faithfully render meaning from one language to another using the oral, rather than written, mode of communication.
Unlike many other professions such as lawyers, doctors, and architects, there is not an official national or board exam professional translators must pass in order to become "certified". However, linguists may pursue certification through state programs, translation associations, or colleges and universities. Bear in mind that certification may be limited to certain language pairs as illustrated in the programs below. That said, finding a "certified" translator for some languages may be impossible due to the limited certification programs in place.
Translator Certification Programs: The premier translator certification program in the United States is administered through the American Translators Association (ATA). Currently, the ATA only certifies the following language pairs:
From English Into English
Chinese Arabic
Croatian Croatian
Dutch Danish
Finnish Dutch
French French
German German
Hungarian Hungarian
Italian Italian
Japanese Japanese
Polish Polish
Portuguese Portuguese
Russian Russian
Spanish Spanish
Ukrainian
Other organizations, such as the State of Washington Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) and the Canadian Translators, Terminologists and Interpreters Council (CTTIC) also administer certification exams in a limited number of languages. For example, Washington State DSHS offers translator certification from English into Cambodian, Chinese, Korean, Laotian, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
Additionally, some colleges and universities, such as the Monterey Institute of International Studies, offer degree programs in translation and interpretation. Others, such as New York University (NYU), offer actual translator certification. Again, these programs are only offered in a limited number of languages. For example, NYU provides translator certification in the following language pairs:
From English to: French, Portguese, Spanish
Into English from: Arabic, French, German, Spanish
The conclusion to be drawn from all of this is that, for some languages, such as Spanish, translator certification programs are available through many different avenues and there is a wealth of certified translators with expertise in various subject matter areas. For the majority of language pairs, such as English into Farsi or Hindi or Somali, there is no US-based translator certification program available.
Those clients who request translator "certification" for these types of language pairs are virtually asking for the impossible. In these circumstances it is far better to rely on the language services company to find a qualified, professional translator with expertise in the subject matter area than to insist that the agency find a "certified" translator.
If you have any questions, send me an email at blog@ctslanguagelink.com
Until next time,
Pam