How To Become A Certified Translator

If you are bilingual and have skills in writing, then translation is an excellent career for you.  Knowing more than one language is the first step.  You now have to learn how to become a certified translator.

Translators can work in many different environments.  They can work in many places like hospitals, as well as in business and court systems. It is also necessary for a translator to be certified. Being certified will reflect on your knowledge and capability to do the job in translating. Certifications would be a proof of your competence in your chosen language and being certified will definitely attract potential employers and open doors for employment, giving you credentials that you need in order to be successful in this field of career.

There are actually no specific or universal certifications needed for translation work. But a lot of colleges and universities now offer certification courses through classes on campus and even through distant learning.  Having a certificate will help you land a job and make more money.  The most common certification program is the American Translators Association (ATA) Certification Program.

• Choose at least Two Languages to Master

This step seems obvious.  Most people who consider being a translator already are fluent in at least two languages.  You must be able to write fluently in each language. As a translator, you will need two kinds of languages, the first one will be your source language, or the language of the original text you are going to translate, while the second is the target language, or the language in which you are going to translate into. Usually, the target language used by most translators is their native language. Although you know well your language, sometimes that is not enough.

For you to become a good translator, you must be excellent in writing your target language. You must have exceptional style and grammar in order to translate well. You must also enhance your comprehension on the figures of speech in general that will help you increase your accuracy.

The prerequisite for the source language is not that difficult. Considering that you must have superb understanding about the language. You may also refer to dictionaries and reference materials for your source language; in this manner you will be sure of the quality of your output. But this can reduce your speed in translating and will decrease your productivity.

It is also important that when you choose a combination of languages is that you also learn culture and tradition of the country from whence the languages come from. The best way to do this is to travel and study or live and immerse yourself into the language and tradition of a particular country.

• Get a College Degree

To be a certified translator doesn’t mean that you need to obtain a degree in translation or in the language you intend to translate, but that will give you an advantage to land into your first job as a translator. As most employers will certainly hire you because of your knowledge and education even if you don’t have enough experience. You may take a degree in translation and acquire knowledge and expertise in other fields that you want to specialize in.

There are several schools who are providing opportunities for their students not only to learn the language but also learn more about the culture.

You may also study the language of the field where you would want to work as a translator. You can have a degree in medicine, literature, business, engineering or judicial studies that interests you and try gaining necessary skills and experience as a translator on the side.

• Gain Relevant Experience

After finishing a bachelor’s degree, you may try some internships or work for a translation company. Typically, it is not easy to land a job in a translation company especially if you don’t have adequate experiences for them to discern your capability to do the job. Another option is to work as a volunteer to gain more experience.

• Certification Training Course

The next thing to do is to take a certification training course. A training course will prepare you to sit and take the certification exam.  This will give you proper guidance in preparing you for the exam and for professionalism purposes.

There are several colleges and universities which provide certification training programs and distant learning programs as well. The American Translators Association (ATA) provides a list of approved translation schools. These training programs will not only prepare you for the examination at the end of the course but will also educate you on the ethical principles involved in translating.

The ACA also provides a practice test for the ATA certification exam and set standards of prerequisites in order for you to eligibly sit and take the exam. All candidates for the certification exam must provide substantiation of their education and work experience in order to qualify for the exam and sign a testimonial that they have understood ATA code of Ethics and Professional Practice.

• Take and Pass the Certification Examination

After taking a certification training program, you must then meet the ATA’s examination prerequisites and provide proofs of your eligibility to sit and take the certification exam. You must also send a completed registration form with the required examination fee at least two weeks before the examination will be given out. Candidates must be able to pay a $35 verification fee and $300 for the examination fee. You must wait for the approval of the organization for you to be able to take the exam.

The certification exam usually takes three hours; it is an open-book examination that will allow showing that the translators has competence in translating a specific pair of language.  the nonrefundable $35 verification fee and the $300 exam fee at the same time.

After passing the examination which is usually sent fifteen weeks after the exam was administered, there would be instances where the exam sitting concentration is high and the waiting result period could be longer. You can then receive your translator certification that is valid as long you remain a member of the ATA.

Your certification may serve as a reference in order for you to use the designation as a Certified Translator (CT) in your resumes, business cards or other related materials including the specific language combination you were certified.

• Continuing Education

ATA also provides a continuing education to the currently certified translators in order to maintain the credentials of their certification. Certified members are given three years in order to amass 20 credit hours.

Being a certified translator is a difficult job and often requires you to dig further into knowing how to speak and especially write two languages at the same time. It will require you to have lots of years of practice and knowledge of the language, including a full understanding on the culture of the country where the language originated. You must be accurate in reproducing information and translations for you to become a professional certified translator.