We鈥檙e excited to offer a limited early launch of some of our most popular online exams to give ATA members more flexibility when scheduling.

These early exams will be available for registration until August 21, and the last day to take an online exam is September 21. Once you register and receive the scheduling email from ExamRoom, you鈥檒l have 30 days to complete your exam in the online platform.

Additional exams will be launched at the regular exam time in April 2026. Don鈥檛 miss this chance to get a head start on your certification!

Languages available in this early launch include:

• Croatian into English
• German into English
• Italian into English
• Japanese into English
• Portuguese into English
• Russian into English
• Spanish into English
• English into Arabic
• English into Chinese
• English into Croatian
• English into Dutch
• English into French
• English into Hungarian
• English into Japanese
• English into Korean
• English into Portuguese
• English into Romanian
• English into Spanish
• English into Swedish

Register Now

The post ATA Certification Online Exams Open Early – Limited Spaces Available! appeared first on 情侣自拍 (ATA).

Benefit No. 1鈥擠ollars and Cents

At present, the fee for taking ATA鈥檚 certification exam is $525, while the practice test costs only $105 for ATA members ($155 for non-members).

As you鈥檒l see here, the practice test gives you a lot of valuable feedback that will help you prepare more effectively before laying out a substantial sum on the exam (which, if you pass it, is well worth the investment, as Elias Shakkour demonstrated in his column in the May/June issue, 鈥�Why ATA Certification? Benefits of the Credential鈥�).

Benefit No. 2鈥擨nside Knowledge

As a student, I always wanted to make sure I got good grades not only by mastering the material, but also by figuring out what the teacher鈥檚 expectations were and answering test questions accordingly. Reading all the information available on ATA鈥檚 website (Explanation of Error Categories, Flowchart for Error Point Decisions, Framework for Standardized Error Marking and, if applicable, Into-English Grading Standards) gives you advance knowledge of graders鈥� standards and expectations. So does taking the practice test! Taking an exam without this information is a stab in the dark.

Benefit No. 3鈥擳he Most Bang for Your Buck

Graders take great care to mark practice tests with explanatory comments that tell you why a particular translation solution is not appropriate (unless the error is something obvious like a misspelling) and suggest better renditions. Although taking a practice test doesn鈥檛 substitute for a course in translation taught by an expert instructor, it gives you valuable insight into the grading methodology (and for that reason, even if you have studied translation, it鈥檚 wise to take this test). Below, I will show you a mock practice test that will give you an idea of what you may receive.

Mock Practice Test with Comments

Although a translation exam always involves two languages, for our purposes I鈥檒l use an English passage that can be considered an accurate back-translation from an imaginary source language, along with an altered version that represents a hypothetical candidate鈥檚 translation into English. Incidentally, when ATA graders participate in mandatory training sessions, we often use this method to align grading criteria across languages.

Here is an excerpt from the source text (the first three paragraphs of a 244-word passage):

Doping scandals have long tarnished the integrity of sports and raised crucial questions about fairness and ethics. From Lance Armstrong to Russia鈥檚 state-sponsored doping program, performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) continue to plague elite athletics. Despite advancements in drug testing by organizations like the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), athletes often find ways to circumvent the system. The immense pressure to win鈥攆ueled by money, fame, and national pride鈥攄rives many to cheat, rationalizing their actions as part of the game.

However, doping isn’t just about cheating; it鈥檚 also a serious health risk. These substances come with long-term consequences, such as cardiovascular issues and hormonal damage. Not only that, but allowing doping to persist sends the wrong message to young athletes: that success at any cost is acceptable, and that natural talent and hard work are secondary.

Some argue for legalizing doping, on the grounds that it would level the playing field. But this ignores the core values of sports: discipline, perseverance, and human excellence. Legalizing PEDs would turn athletics into a pharmaceutical arms race, eroding the joy of witnessing athletes achieve greatness through their own merits.

And here is an imaginary candidate鈥檚 translation, with grader markings.

The integrity of sport¹ has been called into question for a long time due to unfair and unethical doping scandals². Performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) have pestered³ the world鈥檚 top athletes,⁴ including Lance Armstrong and the Russian government鈥檚 doping program. While it鈥檚 true that progress in drug screening by such international agencies as the International anti-doping association (IADA)⁵ have⁶ been achieved, it鈥檚 frequent that⁷ athletes discover ways to get around the system. Rationalizing cheating as just part of competition, tremendous pressure is put on athletes⁸ compete for big bucks, notoriety and national pride.

Taking PEDs is not just a question of breaking the rules, it also seriously endangers athletes鈥� health. Among others⁹, far-reaching consequences accompany these drugs, including heart and lung problems and hormonal damage. Moreover, if we let young athletes take these drugs, we鈥檙e telling them victory at any price is okay, regardless of their innate abilities and work ethic¹⁰.

There are those who advocate for legalizing doping because it will put everyone on an equal footing, disregarding sport鈥檚 essential values;¹¹ discipline, persistence and human excellence. Making PEDs legal would generate an arms race in sports and would diminish the thrill of seeing athletes succeed based on their personal qualities.

Here are the grader comments, with error categories and points:

Error-Specific Comments

1. U1鈥擨n U.S. English, sports is plural, though it takes a singular verb. Sport, singular, is used in the U.K. and some other English-speaking countries.
2. F4鈥擶hat is unfair and unethical is the doping itself, not the scandals. A more accurate rendition would be 鈥渟candals arising from unfair and unethical use of performance-enhancing drugs, known as doping.鈥�
3. T1鈥擳he source term plague suggests a persistent problem, whereas pester suggests nagging or annoying. Perhaps burden or trouble would be a better choice.
4. MU4鈥擳he source text says athletics, a synonym for sports, not athletes, individuals who practice sports.
5. T2, C1鈥擠o not coin new acronyms for international organizations. Although the name of the organization is translated into many other languages, the official acronym is still the English one, WADA. Organization names are capitalized like book titles in U.S. English (see the section on acronyms and the explanation of the first type of headings capitalization in the Into-English Grading Standards.)
6. G2鈥擳he subject of this sentence is progress, so the verb should be the singular has.
7. U1鈥擜 more idiomatic and less wordy rendition would be frequently or often.
8. AMB2鈥擳his introductory phrase, known as a 鈥渄angling modifier,鈥� causes confusion because it isn鈥檛 clear what it modifies. In the source text, the athletes rationalize cheating, but the subject of this sentence is pressure. When you begin a sentence with a participial phrase such as 鈥渞ationalizing cheating,鈥� the subject of the sentence should also be the subject of the verb corresponding to the participle. See the discussion of dangling modifiers in the Into-English Grading Standards.
9. AMB1鈥擨t鈥檚 not clear what 鈥渙thers鈥� are referred to here. You can clarify it by saying 鈥渁mong other threats, …鈥�
10. Q1鈥擥ood solution!
11. P1鈥擜 colon rather than a semicolon should be used here. See the rules for colons and semicolons in the Into-English Grading Standards.

General Comments

The translation displays some good strategies for meaning transfer and creative solutions. However, in some instances you misunderstood the source text, perhaps due to a failure to read carefully (as in reading 鈥渁thletes鈥� for 鈥渁thletics鈥�). You also had some problems expressing ideas clearly in English. Remember to read the source passage thoroughly and think about the overall message when translating. When you have completed your draft translation, review it carefully to make sure it flows logically. To check on fine points of grammar and usage, refer to ATA鈥檚 Into-English Grading Standards.

Conclusion

As you can see, practice tests provide candidates with constructive feedback on their performance. The chance to review this feedback offers clear guidance that can help the candidate succeed on the exam. For example, it might encourage them to practice translating in a more mindful manner by paying more attention to nuances in word meanings and usage, making sure the translation conveys the author鈥檚 message idiomatically and coherently, and carefully proofreading to catch mechanical errors. In addition, practice test feedback reassures candidates that there are multiple ways to convey a message accurately.

I hope this detailed analysis of a practice test serves to encourage candidates to avail themselves of this valuable tool for exam preparation. It鈥檚 far better to spend $105 to discover your strengths and weaknesses as a translator and become familiar with the grading process, than to risk a much larger sum on an experiment with an unpredictable outcome.

(Note: Many thanks to Elias Shakkour, Larry Bogoslaw, and Caron Bailey for their invaluable help in drafting this article.)

About the Author

Holly Mikkelson, CT, is professor emerita of translation and interpreting at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. She is a federally certified court interpreter and an ATA-certified Spanish<>English translator with four decades of professional experience. She has taught classes and workshops all over the world. She has written many articles and books on various aspects of interpreting and is the author of the Acebo training manuals for court and medical interpreters. She serves as deputy chair of ATA鈥檚 Certification Committee. hmikkelson@gmail.com

The post Why Should I Take a Practice Test? appeared first on 情侣自拍 (ATA).

In fact, the rise of AI and MT is not a reason to dismiss ATA certification, but to pursue it. All else being equal, a translator who is ATA-certified enjoys many benefits compared to one who is not. The threats posed by technological advancement are all the more reason for translators to distinguish themselves as much as possible and gain an edge over at least the human competition. And while financial considerations are not insignificant, there continue to be consumers who value quality even if it comes at a higher price. Featuring the voices of a number of ATA-certified translators¹, this column will provide an overview of the benefits of ATA certification and hopefully quell some of the uncertainty around its value.

While AI and MT have triggered an overall decrease in the demand for them, human translators are still sought after for various types of translation jobs, especially when precision and confidentiality are paramount. For example, Larry Bogoslaw, CT (Russian into English and Spanish into English) shares that in his experience, 鈥渕any clients have sensitive and nuanced material for which they rely on human translators.鈥�

With that in mind, marketing is at least as important as ever, if not more so, in the translation world of 2025. ATA certification is a well-recognized and prestigious credential attesting to a translator鈥檚 skill, so it increases credibility and means the translator does not have to work as hard to market themselves. Liz Herron-Sweet, CT (Portuguese into English) says, 鈥淚n general, I鈥檝e found that ATA certification has made me a much more attractive candidate to agencies.鈥� Indeed, in initial conversations with clients or agencies, the mention of ATA certification often means that no further questions are needed: the ATA certification says it all.

Furthermore, in many cases, the entity seeking a translation or proofreading service requires an ATA-certified translator. This significantly limits competition, especially for language pairs boasting only a select few translators with the credential. Manako Ihaya, CT (Japanese into English) says, 鈥淐lients often have to come to me after having hired and paid a non-certified translator to translate documents that were required to be translated by an ATA-certified translator in that language direction.鈥�

Financially, ATA-certified translators can often charge more for their services than competitors without the credential. Nick Boline, CT (Spanish into English) goes so far as to say that in his language pair, 鈥渉aving an ATA certification is pretty much the only way to find work that pays a rate that makes sense if you live in the Global North.鈥� Herron-Sweet and Rony Gao, CT (Chinese into English and English into Chinese) also observe that their ATA certification has allowed them to charge higher rates for their services.

Better yet, ATA certification is a boon even when it鈥檚 not strictly required. Eugenia Tietz-Sokolskaya, CT (Russian into English) shares that a client seeking translation services for an asylum application told her directly that they chose to contact her because of her ATA certification, even though it was not specifically required. Similarly, Kornelia DeKorne, CT (English into Hungarian and Hungarian into English) reports that she has been contacted by clients who 鈥渁re just simply looking for assurance of good quality and see ATA certification as its guarantor.鈥�

This means that another benefit of ATA certification is that the translator doesn鈥檛 have to do as much work to get jobs. All else being equal, an ATA-certified translator is much more likely to be contacted by a client or agency than a translator who is not ATA-certified. Tietz-Sokolskaya describes this as the biggest change she noticed after earning her certification in 2016. Just two months later, she was contacted by that asylum seeker; this was the first time she had been noticed in ATA鈥檚 Language Services Directory even though she had been listed for several years. She reports that 鈥渢hese days people still cold-contact me regularly, and about a third to half of my income is from translating for individuals like that.鈥�

Other certified translators have had similar experiences: 鈥淗aving my ATA certification just generally increased the frequency with which I receive offers for work from various online directories. A number of agencies that didn鈥檛 even respond to my emails before I was certified now have me onboarded鈥� (Boline); 鈥淚 am often contacted by clients who have searched for translators using the ATA directory鈥檚 鈥楽how Only Members ATA-Certified in This Language Pair鈥� feature鈥� (Gao); 鈥淚 am the only ATA-certified translator in my combination on the roster of a small translation agency, so they send all their requests for this combination to me鈥� (Herron-Sweet); 鈥淥nce clients requiring an ATA-certified translator find me, I鈥檓 on their speed dial for any other similar assignments moving forward鈥� (Ihaya).

And there鈥檚 more. In describing the jobs she receives from that small translation agency, Herron-Sweet says, 鈥淚 can set my own deadlines and turnaround time for these jobs, and I always give myself plenty of time, so I find it to be less stressful than other types of translation work.鈥� DeKorne finds that beyond the tangible benefits, her status as an ATA-certified translator gives her a measure of confidence: 鈥淗aving been put through my paces by distinguished peers and judged to be one of those who use language with care, I feel the subtle support of that attitude. This comes in handy when editing, or having to defend choices by providing convincing reasoning based on the value of good communication and respect for both the source and the target language. Confidence buoyed by certification makes these things easier.鈥�

From confidence boosts to more successful marketing, less competition, and a greater flow of job offers to higher rates and more generous turnaround times, ATA certification offers an array of benefits that make it well worth the pursuit. ATA-certified or not, all translators have to contend with the threats of AI, MT, and lower rates. ATA certification will go a long way toward helping you weather the storm.

English into Arabic Certification Exam Needs Graders!

Currently, ATA鈥檚 English into Arabic certification exam is suspended as we seek new graders to support this language pair. Our certification program thrives thanks to the dedication of member volunteers, and we鈥檙e looking for qualified professionals to help ensure its continued success. While the English into Arabic exam is temporarily unavailable, practice tests remain available for those preparing to take the exam when it is offered again in the future.

If you鈥檙e ATA-certified in English into Arabic and interested in becoming a grader to help reinstate this language pair, we鈥檇 love to hear from you! Please email certification@atanet.org with a copy of your CV.

Note

1. Upon first mention, each name will be followed by CT (for 鈥渃ertified translator鈥�) and the language pair(s) of certification in parentheses.

About the Author

Elias Shakkour is a grader for ATA鈥檚 English>Arabic and Arabic>English certification exams, the language chair for the English>Arabic exam, and co-deputy chair of ATA鈥檚 Certification Committee. e.shakkour@depaul.edu

The post Why ATA Certification? Benefits of the Credential appeared first on 情侣自拍 (ATA).

Exam Basics

As has been widely disseminated, ATA鈥檚 certification exam lasts three hours and features three carefully selected passages on general topics. Passages are 225-275 words in English, or the equivalent length in other languages. You choose two of the three passages to translate for grading,¹ and you may use any printed references you have available and resources such as glossaries stored on your computer, plus a set of approved online resources, commonly known as the Allow List (more about that later). The exam tests three skills: 1) comprehension of the source language, 2) translation (message transfer) techniques, and 3) writing in the target language. This basic description applies to both the in-person and online exam.

The in-person exam, as the name suggests, involves going to a physical location on a previously scheduled date, bringing along your laptop and any printed references you wish to use, and completing your translation in the presence of one or more proctors in a room with other exam candidates. The online exam, in contrast, is designed to be administered on demand, so you can take it in your home or office on your own laptop or desktop, in familiar surroundings with all your favorite dictionaries and glossaries. There are some important limitations you should know about, though.

The online exam is currently administered by ATA鈥檚 vendor, ExamRoom.AI (note that vendors are subject to change). After your initial contact with ATA to register and pay the corresponding fee, you鈥檒l be directed to contact ExamRoom.AI within 30 days. After communicating with ExamRoom.AI, you鈥檒l receive two emails: one that provides your login credentials and information on how to schedule a time and date for your exam, and a second one to confirm the exam date and the time when you鈥檒l log in for onboarding. Included in the information from ExamRoom.AI is a link to both a visual walkthrough and a tour of the exam, as well as specifications about internet speed and browsers, all of which are critical in preparing yourself thoroughly for the experience.

Onboarding

Before exam day, you鈥檒l be required to download an app called 360 that will show the online proctor your surroundings while you鈥檙e taking the exam to make sure no one else is in the room and you don鈥檛 have prohibited devices. Unlike the in-person exam, the online exam requires more than just a laptop. You must have a camera in your computer and a mobile device (smartphone or tablet) with a second camera. On the designated day, you will log in 15 minutes before the start time so that the onboarding agent can verify your identity and make sure you meet all the technical specifications.

Then you鈥檒l be connected with a proctor to begin the exam. If any problem arises during the session, such as a power outage or a lost internet connection, any translation you鈥檝e already completed will be saved so that when you log in again, the session can be resumed where you left off. When you鈥檙e online, you can communicate with the proctor at any time to address concerns you may have (or to take a bathroom break, for example). The entire session is recorded, so if any issues arise about testing conditions, you can request that the recording be reviewed.

Online vs. In-person

At an in-person exam sitting, the source passages are provided on paper and must be returned at the end of the session. For the online exam, the source passages appear on the screen and you enter your translation in the space provided. In both exam formats, you鈥檙e prohibited from copying any part of the source passage, and you don鈥檛 have access to spell-check. You should also know that the program used for the online exam disables the cut-and-paste and highlighting functions, which translators often use in their daily work. When you prepare for the exam, it鈥檚 a good idea to practice translating without using those features. You鈥檙e also responsible for having the keyboard you need for entering text in your target language, as ASCII codes will not work for accents or special characters.

In both the in-person and online exams, the references you鈥檙e allowed to use are as described, but when you take the exam through ExamRoom.AI, any links on one of the allowed websites are disabled. Thus, if you do a Google search for a term, you may see all the 鈥渉its鈥� that appear on the search page, but if you try to click on any of those links they will be blocked. Another difference with the online exam is that you may not use your mouse to navigate within your translation; only the arrow keys are allowed for that purpose.

These are just a few aspects of the online exam you should consider prior to your session. Be sure to read in detail all the information you receive from ATA鈥檚 Certification Program and ExamRoom.AI.

Preparation Is Key

The online exam is a great convenience for exam candidates who can鈥檛 travel to in-person sittings, but it鈥檚 important to know exactly what will be expected and to prepare under the same conditions you鈥檒l face on exam day. As always, it鈥檚 important to carefully review all relevant exam details on ATA鈥檚 website and in past ATA Chronicle articles² so you won鈥檛 encounter any unpleasant surprises on exam day.

Notes

1. If a candidate translates all three passages, only the first two, in order of appearance, will be graded.
2. For example, 鈥�The Certification Toolbox: Get Ready!鈥� 鈥�The Certification Exam: In Demand and On Demand!鈥� 鈥�Peer Reviewed: Collaborative Preparation for the Certification Exam,鈥� 鈥�Practical Tips for Taking ATA鈥檚 Certification Exam Online,鈥� and 鈥�The What and Why of Certification Exam Conditions.鈥�

About the Author

Holly Mikkelson, CT, is professor emerita of translation and interpreting at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. She is a federally certified court interpreter and an ATA-certified Spanish<>English translator with four decades of professional experience. She has taught classes and workshops all over the world. She has written many articles and books on various aspects of interpreting and is the author of the Acebo training manuals for court and medical interpreters. She serves as deputy chair of ATA鈥檚 Certification Committee. hmikkelson@gmail.com

The post Nuts and Bolts of the Online Exam appeared first on 情侣自拍 (ATA).

Perhaps you鈥檙e not sure what those skills are. Additionally, there are a few other things beyond translation skills per se that can help improve a candidate鈥檚 chances of passing the exam. This column will cover all those things by describing the ideal exam candidate. Do not think of this ideal candidate profile as a minimum requirement for passing the exam; rather, use it as a sort of litmus test to help you gauge your readiness for the exam. The closer you are to this ideal candidate profile, the better your chances of passing the exam!

Let鈥檚 start with those fundamental translation skills that strike at the core of what the exam is all about. Broadly speaking, the translation process consists of four primary elements: comprehension of the source, meaning transfer, target-language form,
and adaptation.

Assuming the source text is well-written and legible, the ideal candidate is able to fully comprehend it鈥攊苍肠濒耻诲颈苍驳 connotations, nuances, and cultural references. After all, you can鈥檛 translate what you don鈥檛 understand. The ideal candidate doesn鈥檛 fall for false friends, which are pairs of words or phrases that on the surface look similar in the source and target languages but have different meanings. Importantly, the ideal candidate recognizes when they still haven鈥檛 achieved full comprehension鈥攊n other words, they know what they don鈥檛 (yet) know鈥攁nd they have the right research skills to find the answers. This includes using authoritative and reliable resources and performing smart Google searches.

Next comes meaning transfer. The ideal candidate is able to extract the source text meaning, then step away from the words and convey that meaning idiomatically in the target language. The ideal candidate knows when a literal translation will work and when it won鈥檛. The source text words are containers of meaning. With very few exceptions (like poetry), it doesn鈥檛 matter what the container looks like鈥攚hat matters is the content. If the source text is a porcelain cup of lemonade, the target text should not be a porcelain cup of coffee, but it could be a plastic cup of lemonade. In other words, the source and target text need to convey the same content, even if they look different on the outside.

At the same time, the form of the target cup is not entirely irrelevant. It should not be chipped, cracked, or otherwise blemished; in other words, target-language form is important. The ideal candidate is able to produce a target text that is acceptable in terms of grammar, sentence structure, spelling, capitalization, punctuation, word choice, coherence, flow, register, style, and tone. This means that the ideal candidate is a good writer in the target language, with the ability to effectively proofread and revise their work.

Finally, the ideal candidate is able to adapt their translation to the text type and genre, the purpose of the translation, and the needs of the target audience. On the ATA exam, the translation鈥檚 purpose and target audience are articulated in the Translation Instructions, which every candidate should carefully read and follow.

Beyond these fundamental translation skills, there are a few exam-specific strengths the ideal candidate comes with. First, the ideal candidate knows how the ATA exam is graded. ATA鈥檚 website contains a wealth of information about the exam, and specifically about how it鈥檚 graded鈥攊苍肠濒耻诲颈苍驳 error categories, the flowchart for error point decisions, and the Into-English Grading Standards (for exams into English). Having reviewed this information, the ideal candidate is mentally prepared for the exam they will be undergoing.

Second, the ideal candidate carefully reads and follows all exam instructions communicated via email and on the day of the exam so as to avoid unnecessary errors. The ideal candidate makes sure to ask questions about the instructions if anything is unclear, so they are optimally prepared to take the exam without undue stress, anxiety, or panic.

Third, the ideal candidate is able to successfully complete their two translations within the time limit. They are able to manage their time well and make fast decisions without compromising on quality. This may mean, for example, quickly deciding which two of the three passages to translate and starting out by reading through both passages, noting tricky words and phrases, and starting by researching those.

Finally, the ideal candidate is able to handle the exam鈥檚 word-level and sentence-level challenges, which are often specific to the target language. In preparing exam passages, ATA graders ensure that each one has a minimum number of each type of challenge. A word-level challenge may be a word that doesn鈥檛 have a straightforward equivalent in the target language or whose meaning is not readily apparent. A sentence-level challenge may be a syntactic structure that isn鈥檛 easy to parse or needs to be recast in the target language. The ideal candidate comes into the exam prepared to face these types of challenges.

In addition to fundamental translation skills and exam-specific strengths, the ideal candidate also has some grounding in translation theory. While it is not necessary to be a translation theory expert, even a modest degree of familiarity with translation theory can go a long way toward helping a candidate navigate a translation and make successful translation decisions.¹

Finally, the ideal translation candidate has a solid amount of experience and/or training in translation. Even those with the greatest potential as translators are unlikely to pass the exam if they jump in cold and take the exam without (enough) experience or preparation. The ideal candidate isn鈥檛 necessarily a minimum age or at a certain stage of their translation career, but they do have the necessary experience and/or training. For many people, academic programs in translation can be an effective way to get the training they need.

Are you able to achieve full comprehension of the source text without falling for false friends? Can you recognize when you need to do more research, and do you have the right research skills to find the answers you need? Are you able to extract meaning and convey it idiomatically, whether literally or not literally, without being unduly influenced by the source-language words? Are you a good writer, proofreader, and reviser in the target language, and can you adapt your translation to the text type and the translation鈥檚 purpose and target audience? Do you know how the exam is graded, can you translate under the exam鈥檚 timed conditions, and are you prepared to face the exam鈥檚 word-level and sentence-level challenges? Do you have some grounding in translation theory and a solid amount of experience and/or training in translation? If your answer to most or all these questions is yes, then ATA certification may very well be in the cards for you!²

Notes

1. If you鈥檙e looking for resources on translation theory, you may consider by Mona Baker, by Mildred Larson, and Routledge鈥檚 series.
2. For an additional indicator of your degree of preparedness, you can consider taking ATA鈥檚 practice test.

About the Author

Elias Shakkour is a grader for ATA鈥檚 English>Arabic and Arabic>English certification exams, the language chair for the English>Arabic exam, and co-deputy chair of ATA鈥檚 Certification Committee. e.shakkour@depaul.edu

The post The Ideal Candidate appeared first on 情侣自拍 (ATA).

A World Language

According to Wikipedia, Chinese (or at least a variety of Chinese) is spoken by 1.35 billion people, approximately 17% of the world鈥檚 population. It鈥檚 the official language of China, Taiwan, and Singapore, and is a recognized minority language in Malaysia. Chinese is one of six official languages of the United Nations system, including all its agencies, such as the World Health Organization and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Furthermore, as the map here shows, spoken or written Chinese is used daily in a great number of countries.

Written Chinese dates back to 1250 BCE. Its character system has evolved along with the spoken language, and historically it even influenced the writing systems of Japanese and Korean. The Standard Chinese of today was officially adopted in the 1930s and is based on the Beijing dialect of Mandarin. Many varieties of Chinese are spoken within the Chinese mainland and in other Sinophone countries and regions, but all use the same characters (either in simplified or traditional form).

Thus, mutually unintelligible varieties, languages, or dialects (see the previous column regarding dialects), such as Cantonese and Wu, may look the same on paper, but once they鈥檙e read aloud they鈥檙e as different as Russian and Polish. In the 1950s, the People鈥檚 Republic of China (PRC) instituted a system of simplified characters for greater accessibility, and Singapore adopted that system, whereas traditional characters continued to be used elsewhere, and still are, in many cases. Chinese usage is regulated by the in China, and by similar agencies in Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia. If you鈥檙e preparing to take ATA鈥檚 certification exam and have questions about accepted usage, you can probably find the answers there or in the resources that are allowed during the exam.

Which Chinese?

For any professional translator, having information about a text鈥檚 source, its purpose, and its target audience is critical for generating the appropriate target-language text (hence the importance of Translation Instructions in our certification exams). Professional translators of Chinese are no exception. They must ask their clients for this information so they can determine whether to use simplified or traditional characters, layout and punctuation, and what regional variations in terminology they must observe. An informational brochure on health care options for students from the PRC coming to study in the U.S. may need to be translated differently than such a brochure for Chinese-speaking residents of this country, as differences in usage and medical terms may apply.

In an effort to inform prospective candidates for ATA certification in Chinese>English or English>Chinese of what they might expect on the exam, I asked some graders in this language pair about the issues discussed above. Evelyn Yang Garland, a former Chinese>English grader, told me that candidates are offered source texts in both simplified and traditional characters and can choose which one to translate into English.¹ The texts should be understandable to all educated, proficient readers of Chinese, regardless of their country or place of origin.

Two English>Chinese graders, Tianlu Redmon and Chaowei Zhu, kindly answered my questions about their requirements and expectations for candidates translating into Chinese. They reported that candidates can use either traditional or simplified characters, though most choose the latter, and no country or region is specified in the Translation Instructions. Regional variations in usage are not an issue, in their experience, and exam passages are general enough to be suitable for target audiences anywhere in the world. When I asked about the reasons candidates may not pass the exam, they cited poor understanding of the source text and inadequate mastery of the target language (which I would venture to say are the two main problems cited by graders in any language pair).

Conclusion

As I wrote in the previous column, exam candidates can rest assured that in all the language pairs we test, the passages chosen for them to translate don鈥檛 contain obscure regionalisms or arcane vocabulary. Graders allow a certain latitude in language usage, but they expect high standards of accuracy, consistency, and target-language fluency. At the conclusion of their grading of each translation, they always ask these basic questions:

• Can the target text be used for its intended purpose?
• Is it intelligible to the intended target reader?
• Does it transfer the meaning of the source text?

If the answer to each question is 鈥測es,鈥� the exam most likely passes.

If you have questions about ATA鈥檚 Certification Program you鈥檇 like to see answered in this column, please email me at hmikkelson@gmail.com.

Notes

1. Special thanks to Evelyn for sharing with me a presentation she gave on the subject at ATA54 in 2013, part of which formed the basis of this article.

About the Author

Holly Mikkelson, CT is professor emerita of translation and interpreting at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. She is a federally certified court interpreter and an ATA-certified Spanish<>English translator with four decades of professional experience. She has taught classes and workshops all over the world. She has written many articles and books on various aspects of interpreting and is the author of the Acebo training manuals for court and medical interpreters. She serves as deputy chair of ATA鈥檚 Certification Committee. hmikkelson@gmail.com

The post How Do Graders Address Regional Varieties? Part 2: Chinese appeared first on 情侣自拍 (ATA).

Some languages, like Hungarian or Japanese, are the official language of only one country, whereas others are either the official language, or one of several, in multiple countries. For example, English, Arabic, French, and Spanish are each official or co-official in at least 20 countries. The latter two have official academies that govern grammar and usage, whereas English is notoriously lax about enforcement.

Novice translators are often puzzled about which rules they should follow when their clients are scattered all over the world, and some target audiences are quite exacting. (An old quote, variously attributed to George Bernard Shaw, Winston Churchill, or Oscar Wilde, is that England and America are two countries separated by a common language.) Distinguishing between a standard language, regional variety, and dialect is also politically fraught. In light of disagreements among linguists, the Yiddish-speaking sociolinguist Max Weinreich popularized the quip that a language is simply a dialect with an army and a navy.

Fortunately for translators who work into English from one of the 17 languages in which certification exams are available, ATA specifies that U.S. English must be used and has published the Into-English Grading Standards to provide further guidance. The grader workgroups for the 鈥淓nglish into鈥� languages are also required to adopt language-specific guidelines, some of which specify an authoritative resource such as an academy or dictionary that candidates can refer to when in doubt. The list of permitted resources in the Certification section of ATA鈥檚 website contains links to these and other trustworthy references for each language.

But to get back to the questions mentioned at the beginning of this article, I thought it would be useful to ask the language chairs (LCs) of some key grader workgroups how they respond when candidates ask about their expectations with respect to regional varieties. I also asked if their workgroup members are broadly representative of the countries where their language is spoken. Below are the answers I received. (Many LCs who may be on vacation or otherwise occupied might not have had a chance to answer before my admittedly tight deadline.)

Arabic: According to English>Arabic LC Elias Shakkour: 鈥淔or English into Arabic, we require (Modern) Standard Arabic (MSA), otherwise known as fusha. While MSA/fusha is mostly standard from country to country, there are some regional differences. For example, different countries use different names for the months of the year, and there are a few spelling differences across countries as well. We accept any regional variety as long as the candidate is consistent in their translation within the same passage. In other words, if a passage includes two names for months, the candidate should not mix varieties, and the same for spelling variants. We strive to have diverse regional representation among the graders so we can consult each other if there are doubts about differences.鈥�

French: Ellen Sowchek, LC of the French>English workgroup, said that although French is spoken in many places outside France, 鈥渙ur French>English test passages are always in Parisian French. Also known as Metropolitan French, it鈥檚 the 鈥榮tandard鈥� version of French used in France and by international organizations.鈥� The , which is responsible for maintaining, promoting, improving, and regulating the French language and determining standards of acceptable grammar and vocabulary, is the final authority on language. 鈥淥ur passages conform to their requirements. If there are any specific regionalism or local expressions, we鈥檒l indicate how they are to be translated in the translation instructions (TIs) for the exam.鈥�

Portuguese: According to Julia Pedro, LC of the English>Portuguese workgroup: 鈥淧ortuguese is an official language in many countries besides Portugal and Brazil, and there two norms: Portuguese鈥擯ortugal (pt_PT), used in Portugal, Timor-Leste, and African countries whose official language is Portuguese, and Portuguese鈥擝razil (pt_BR), used in Brazil.鈥� Portuguese is a single language with two standards, as European and Brazilian Portuguese are mutually intelligible. Julia explained that, 鈥渨hile there are variations in grammar, vocabulary, and spelling between the two standards, pronunciation is what differs the most,鈥� stressing that graders are well acquainted with both.

鈥淯sually, we identify the norm the candidate has used in the first sentences and grade accordingly. What鈥檚 not acceptable is to use both standards in the same text. … [W]e refrain from using target audience nationalities in the TIs.鈥�

Spanish: Mercedes De la Rosa Sherman, LC of the English>Spanish workgroup, replied that there is good geographical representation among graders, who come from all over the Hispanic world. 鈥淲hen a word sounds 鈥榮trange鈥� to one of us,鈥� she said, 鈥渨e first ask in the group if someone knows that word.鈥�

To avoid the problem of regionalisms, the TIs for each passage specify that the target audience is 鈥渆ducated Spanish speakers from all Spanish-speaking countries in the world.鈥� Mercedes also pointed out that the dictionary of the usually includes regional differences in meanings.

Conclusion

I hope the foregoing has made it clear that ATA鈥檚 Certification Program strives to be as transparent as possible about language standards. Graders who represent a variety of countries where their respective languages are spoken are well aware of regional differences and consult others when questions arise. In addition, ATA鈥檚 language divisions often address differences in usage and standards, so candidates should pay attention to their publications and activities. At ATA鈥檚 Annual Conference, many graders wear a ribbon identifying them as such, so if you have questions about matters not covered here, you can ask them directly.

About the Author

Holly Mikkelson, CT is professor emerita of translation and interpreting at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. She is a federally certified court interpreter and an ATA-certified Spanish<>English translator with four decades of professional experience. She has taught classes and workshops all over the world. She has written many articles and books on various aspects of interpreting and is the author of the Acebo training manuals for court and medical interpreters. She serves as deputy chair of ATA鈥檚 Certification Committee. hmikkelson@gmail.com

The post How Do Graders Address Regional Varieties? appeared first on 情侣自拍 (ATA).

So, what is the practice test? It鈥檚 an actual exam passage that has been retired and is available in every language pair in which the exam is offered. Ordering and downloading the practice test online couldn鈥檛 be easier.¹ At $80 per test for ATA members ($120 for nonmembers), the practice test costs a fraction of the exam registration fee (currently $525) and is well worth it for candidates who aren鈥檛 sure if they鈥檙e ready. Even experienced translators taking the exam for the first time can benefit from it.

That potential benefit is substantial. Unlike exam results, where candidates are provided notice of pass or fail and information about their overall numerical score, practice tests are returned with markings and feedback. The candidate receives the marked text itself, together with a point breakdown by error category and brief explanations of any marked errors that aren鈥檛 self-explanatory (e.g., misspellings). This feedback can be quite helpful in preparing for the actual exam.

Despite this clear value, the most common objection we hear is along the lines of 鈥淚鈥檓 already a professional translator, so I don鈥檛 need practice.鈥� While it鈥檚 true that the certification exam is geared toward experienced (or 鈥減racticed鈥�) translators, ATA certification鈥攍ike most test-based credentials鈥攊s awarded to those who exhibit specific knowledge, skills, and abilities, such as complete source-language comprehension, the ability to write fluently and idiomatically in the target language, and mastery of translation transfer skills.

These are all critical abilities for a working translator, but an established translator is not often called upon to demonstrate them in a focused and targeted exam setting. Moreover, many experienced translators work in a limited field (e.g., finance, education, or medicine) and are not accustomed to translating the sort of general texts presented in ATA鈥檚 certification exam. This is where the practice test comes in鈥攐r perhaps we should think of it as a 鈥渟neak preview.鈥� Even if you already know how to translate competently, completing one or more practice tests will give you a taste of the real thing and a better understanding of the standards applied in evaluating the exam鈥攖hus boosting your prospect of passing.

Another point of resistance to the practice tests comes from beginners who complain, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want practice or training; I鈥檓 already bilingual and just want to get certified so I can work as a translator.鈥� In this case, too, the practice test offers a valuable preview of what the candidate can expect to see on the exam, and hopefully it will dissuade the large number of candidates who think that being bilingual is qualification enough for translating effectively鈥攁nd who are partly to blame for the exam鈥檚 low overall pass rate.

Have I convinced you yet? If so, here are a few tips for making the most of your 鈥渟neak preview鈥�:

• Allow plenty of time. Practice test grading turnaround depends on volume and other factors, so candidates should allow six to eight weeks to receive results. But bear in mind that if your practice test results suggest that your chance of passing the exam is good, you can register for the online exam immediately, as long as the exam year is still running (roughly from April through October).
• Take more than one. Many language pairs offer more than one practice test, so consider doing two or more.
• Take the test under exam conditions. Try to set aside 90 minutes of uninterrupted time and translate the passage in one go. Use only print reference materials and permitted online resources.²
• Carefully consider the feedback you receive. This feedback may tell you what areas to focus on. For example, do you need to proofread more carefully? Should you work on target-language grammar or usage? Are there gaps in your source-language comprehension that could be filled by further study?
• Upgrade old tests. If you requested and paid for a practice test more than a year ago and never got around to translating it or having it graded, ATA Headquarters will send you a current version of the passage for the same language pair upon request, for no additional charge.

For more information about the certification practice test, click here. For tips on moving forward after a failing practice test result, click here.

Notes

2. ATA certification exam online resource list.

About the Author

David Stephenson, CT is chair of ATA鈥檚 Certification Committee. An ATA-certified German>English, Dutch>English, and Croatian>English translator, he has been an independent translator for over 30 years, specializing in civil litigation and creative nonfiction. He was the 2022 recipient of ATA鈥檚 Impact Award. david@bullcitylang.com

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Years went by while I convinced myself that I might not need this qualification in the first place or that I would wait for a more convenient time. As life goes, that convenient time never came. Instead, 12 years after venturing into professional translation, I decided it was time for a new challenge to kick my career into the next gear.

First Stop: Practice Test

One slow morning in November 2022, I decided to order the practice test from ATA鈥檚 website and take care of it that same day. As recommended in the instructions, I simulated the conditions for the actual exam as closely as possible by taking the following steps:

• I set aside 90 minutes of uninterrupted time (while the actual exam consists of two passages to be completed in three hours, the practice test only consists of one).
• I checked ATA鈥檚 website to see which online dictionaries and resources are allowed during the actual exam and opened the ones I intended to use, which were pretty much the same ones I like to use in my daily work.
• I downloaded Word Pad, since you are not allowed to use a spell checker during the actual exam.
• I paid the fee, downloaded the practice test, set my timer for 90 minutes, and off I went.

I delivered my translation that same afternoon by uploading it to the online portal (the link was provided in the instructions). Approximately four weeks later, I received my result and was excited to learn I had passed with 13 out of 17 allowed error points! The nice thing about the practice test is that, unlike the real exam, you get to see all the corrections with detailed explanations of why those things were marked wrong, including the grader鈥檚 recommendations for how to improve on any weak areas you may have. This was extremely helpful.

Second Stop: Study Group

Even though this was a promising result, I still had a lot of respect for the real certification exam and did not want to leave anything up to chance. Therefore, I decided to join a study group for a few months before taking the leap and signing up for the real deal. I began by going to ATA鈥檚 website and completing a general inquiry form, asking where I could find a peer study group to prepare for the English>German certification exam.

ATA Certification Program Manager Caron Bailey got back to me, saying the best place to start was the email listserv of ATA鈥檚 German Language Division. I signed up, asked my question, and quickly discovered there was no existing study group for my language pair and direction. Instead, five other colleagues wrote that they were also interested in joining 鈥渕y鈥� group, which didn鈥檛 yet exist. For a moment, the introvert in me panicked and put up a strong wall of resistance, thinking that I didn鈥檛 want to be the leader and organizer of a new group but just wanted to join an existing group. I contemplated calling the whole thing off or just contacting one of the interested colleagues to suggest studying with them one-on-one.

Karen Leube to the Rescue!

Before I could panic any further, I emailed Karen Leube, fearless leader of the German Language Division, explaining my dilemma. She didn鈥檛 hesitate to call and discuss my situation. I mentioned I wasn鈥檛 really the leader/presenter type and that I only wanted to join an existing group. But she encouraged me to stick with it, start my own group, and find a way to kickstart it while delegating some of the tasks to other group members.

I came up with a tentative system, in which each study group member would take a turn selecting the passage(s) and assigning who would proofread whose translation for the next meeting, so that one member wouldn鈥檛 be stuck with all the heavy lifting. With that in mind, I emailed the other five colleagues who had signaled their interest in joining. I introduced myself, laid out my suggested plan, and volunteered to organize the first round to get the ball rolling. The response was overwhelmingly positive and encouraging and everyone was ready to help. One group member, for instance, had a paid Zoom membership and volunteered to take care of the Zoom links for each meeting, which was super helpful.

My plan for the study group was as follows:

1. One group member (i.e., the organizer of the respective round) picked a text passage of 250-300 words from a publication with the appropriate level of formality and difficulty, such as The New Yorker, The Economist, or sources of a similar caliber. We started off with one passage per round, but quickly moved on to two passages to create more realistic exam conditions.
2. The group member organizing the round decided who would proofread whose translations for that two-week period. We rotated the translation/proofreading pairs for each round to get different feedback from different members.
3. We had two weeks to translate our passages and send them to our colleague for review, and we met every other week by Zoom to discuss the passages, translation options, difficulties, questions, etc.
4. Another group member would then take charge of the next round.

Despite my initial apprehension, our study group got off to a great start. We were lucky to have a very committed and dynamic group of people and every discussion turned into an enriching and fruitful learning experience. Each of us brought different specializations and strengths to the table, so I felt we all learned a great deal during those months of studying together, not only for the exam but also our day-to-day work in general.

Taking the Plunge鈥攂ut Not without Dodging a Few Curve Balls

As soon as ATA鈥檚 exam season opened in July, I decided it was time to take the plunge. I signed up for the on-demand exam with only four days lead time, as my nerves tend to get the best of me when I leave too much time before big events. What I didn鈥檛 expect were the additional roadblocks I would face due to the technical requirements and glitches of ATA鈥檚 exam platform provider, ExamRoom.AI.

The first curve ball was learning that I would not be able to use keyboard shortcuts on a U.S. or international keyboard, which was a problem since I needed to type special German characters. Amazon to the rescue, where I quickly ordered a German keyboard. It arrived the night before the exam and I practiced on it for about 20 minutes. I discovered later that I could have made software adjustments and used my existing keyboard after all. But in my case, I still preferred to have the physical German keyboard because multiple keys (such as umlauts, question marks, colons, and others) are different between those keyboards, so I wanted to know their location, just in case.

To save time and energy, I completed all the preparatory steps on ExamRoom.AI beforehand, including the ID check, facial recognition, device check, downloading the exam app onto my phone (in addition to my computer), etc.

The morning of the exam came. After fueling up with some coffee and breakfast, I sat at the ready and logged into the exam platform about 10 minutes before the scheduled start. A tech guy joined by video chat a few minutes after go-time, checked all my devices, and had me do a sweep of my room with my phone camera, including underneath my desk and chair! After all the technical and room checks were completed, my exam proctor came on by voice call, this time without a video window. To name one of the positives first: my proctor was extremely helpful, responsive, and patient, never making me feel as if I asked too many questions.

I received the three passages and the exam room timer on my screen started running. You get to choose two of the three passages, so I started by reading all three to get a feel for them. I quickly knew which one I wanted to tackle first but was not yet sure which one to pick of the remaining two, so I left that decision for later. As I was antsy to get started, I quickly dove into translating my first choice. It was encouraging to find that all three exam passages seemed to be of a similar caliber and difficulty level as the ones we had been working on with our study group.

However, what greatly added to my nervousness was the fact that the platform wouldn鈥檛 let me click on words or sentence parts I had already translated and wanted to correct. I asked my proctor what was going on. She double-checked with her team and informed me I would have to use the left/right/up/down arrow keys to navigate through my texts. Given that you can only start scrolling at the end of each line, this caused unexpected and unnecessary delays in completing/editing my translations. This was especially time-consuming if you needed to reword an entire sentence or passage.

In addition, due to another platform glitch, I was not able to use LEO or Wikipedia, even though they were on the list of ATA permitted resources. ATA cautions that there are no guarantees that individual websites will work on the day of the exam, so candidates should be ready with alternatives, including paper dictionaries. Luckily, I was able to use Linguee, which I also use regularly in my daily translation practice, so it all worked out for me.

After finishing the first passage, I asked to use the restroom so I could get up from my desk. This short break gave me a chance to reset before tackling the second passage. I also reread my translation of the first passage after finishing my draft of the second passage, which helped me find some mistakes I didn鈥檛 notice during my first correction round. In addition, I made sure to use every second of those three hours for rereading and fine-tuning my translations.

Tasting the Fruits of My Labor

Given the technical obstacles that took time away from my translating and fine-tuning steps, I feared there was a significant chance I had failed the exam despite all my preparation. Knowing that the grading would take 8-16 weeks, I had to do my best to put the exam out of my mind for a while and just wait to see what would happen. About eight weeks later, I was so unbelievably thrilled to find out I had passed the exam! I鈥檓 extremely proud to be able to call myself an ATA-certified translator! While this was definitely not an easy journey or task, I feel like it was and will be worth the effort in the long run.

As an added bonus, I just learned that one of my study mates also took the leap and joined the 鈥淎TA Class of 2023鈥� last week! Welcome to the club. I hope my story will help others who are considering taking the exam.

About the Author

Melanie Meyer, CT is an ATA-certified English>German translator. She began her career in the human resources department of the U.S. embassy in Germany, where she worked as an assistant and later managed the day-to-day operation of the American Personnel Support Unit for all agencies at the post. She started her own business as a professional English>German freelance translator specializing in marketing, market research, retail, cosmetics, and fitness and health in 2010, and joined ATA in 2011. She founded Word Flow LLC in January 2023. melanie@word-flow.com

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