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At least the lockdown and other unpleasantries from 2020 had a silver lining. It gave us the final nudge toward offering the exam online. Through diligent efforts by the late Mich猫le Hansen as Certification Committee chair and Caron Bailey as Certification Program manager at ATA Headquarters, in 2021 we were able to offer online exams at preset times, in cooperation with our partners at ExamRoom.AI. Over 150 candidates registered for the online exam, while fewer than 90 opted for the traditional format of bringing their own laptop to a physical proctored sitting.

In 2022, we took the next step of making the exam available on demand, rather than during specified time slots with a limited number of candidates. Candidates can now register for the exam and in some cases take it the same day. This forced us to rethink a few things. Most of all, with an on-demand format, it wasn鈥檛 feasible for us to have ATA proctors available 24/7 to supplement ExamRoom鈥檚 own proctors. But relying solely on their proctors, who are not translators, raised issues about our 鈥渄eny list鈥� approach, whereby candidates could access all of the internet apart from specifically prohibited sites, such as DeepL. That鈥檚 why in 2022 we rolled out the 鈥渁llow list鈥�: a set of carefully selected web resources that are available to all candidates during the exam鈥攖o the exclusion of everything else. At last, the final puzzle piece was in place, allowing us to offer the exam on demand.

So, how did that work out, and how do things look for 2023? We saw several trends last year:

• Demand was up, slightly surpassing even the 鈥渘ormal鈥� 2019 figure, though still not up to the 500 or so who took the exam each year in the early and mid-2010s. Just under 300 people took the online exam, while a little over 120 sat for the exam in person.
• The ratio of in-person to online registrations was further skewed in the direction of the latter鈥攈ardly a surprising development given the sheer convenience of testing at home.
• Several prominent ATA chapters and affiliates chose to no longer sponsor exam sittings and instead referred their members to the online exam.
• Some language pairs saw a bump in their pass rate, most likely due to qualified candidates who previously didn鈥檛 have access to the physical exam finally earning their certification.
• Technical issues with the online exam were few and far between and were often attributable to inadequate internet bandwidth due to throttling after a certain time by internet service providers, or occasionally the candidate鈥檚 own equipment.

Looking ahead to 2023, many aspects of the exam offering are unchanged, but there are other things that we鈥檙e modifying or looking at closely.

• The exam year will continue to run roughly from April through September, plus in-person sittings at ATA鈥檚 Annual Conference. The six-month hiatus is necessary because of ATA Headquarters staffing constraints and to allow new passages to be selected, refined, and integrated into the ExamRoom system.
• We鈥檒l continue to allow chapters, affiliates, and other groups in the U.S. to organize physical sittings. However, we鈥檒l closely monitor the level of interest in these sittings to determine whether this hybrid model of exam formats is worth continuing in 2024 and beyond.
• Effective this year, we鈥檒l no longer have sittings outside the U.S. Administering sittings abroad is hugely expensive, due mostly to higher shipping charges, and there鈥檚 always a risk of delays when exam materials are held up at customs or other red tape. Candidates in other countries now have an easy way to take the exam on their own schedule by registering for the online format.
• Speaking of money, we鈥檒l be taking a close look at the relative costs and whether an adjustment in the registration fee is warranted. Moving the exam online eliminates the need to rent facilities and pay proctors, though the overall impact on ATA Headquarters鈥� overhead is not yet clear.
• We鈥檙e working with ExamRoom to move the practice test to that platform as well. Besides enhancing administrative processes, this also has the advantage of allowing candidates to experience the interface in a lower-pressure situation, so that when it comes time to take the exam itself, that will be one less thing to fret about. Behind the scenes, we鈥檙e also hoping to move the grading process itself online, which would greatly streamline operations.

It鈥檚 an exciting time for ATA鈥檚 Certification Program, and those of us who have been involved with it for many years occasionally have a sense of whiplash from all the changes. Alongside these improvements in accessibility, the Certification Committee is also hard at work making the exam even more equitable and consistent. A belated Happy New Year to everyone!

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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Passage Bank and Language-Specific Guidelines

The Certification Program鈥檚 policy is that each grader workgroup (the set of graders responsible for a given language pair to or from English鈥攅.g., Arabic>English, English>Arabic, etc.) must maintain a bank of six passages per exam year. This bank consists of three active passages that are presented to candidates (who select two of the three to translate) and three backup passages that come into play if any of the active ones are spoiled due to a breach of passage security or another cause. After a certain time, active passages are retired and any unused backup passages are put into use. Retired passages may then be repurposed as practice tests.

Each grader workgroup is also required to develop language-specific guidelines (LSGs), consisting of common challenges for translators in their language pair and direction. For example, an LSG could state that a source language tends to have long, complex sentences that need to be split into two or more shorter sentences in translation. Other challenges are at the word level. For example, a given language may have many 鈥渇alse friends鈥� (i.e., words in a foreign language bearing a deceptive resemblance to words in one鈥檚 own language), or perhaps terms that can be translated in different ways depending on context. In selecting and developing passages, graders look for texts that feature the challenges identified in the LSGs.

Selection Criteria

The first step in selecting a passage is to find a text in the source language that meets explicit criteria for passage suitability. Here are some key guidelines that all graders abide by when selecting passages:

Length: Source texts in English must be between 225 and 275 words. The length of source texts in other languages is judged by the average length of a translation into English.

Content: The subject matter should be readily familiar to an educated layperson. Topics that are controversial or potentially upsetting to a candidate are avoided.

Lexicon: The vocabulary should be nontechnical (i.e., require no particular knowledge of a specialized field). Thus, any specific terminology should be commonly known or readily accessible in a good general dictionary.

Reading Level: The source text鈥檚 sentence structure and higher-level organization should correspond to Level 3 as described by the U.S. government鈥檚 Interagency Language Roundtable in its scale for reading proficiency.¹

In more concrete terms, the passage should present a clear and coherent progression of thought and reasoning in which the candidate must follow an argument or supported opinion and possibly author inference. Texts that present straightforward factual material are generally too easy, while highly specialized, esoteric, or stylistically idiosyncratic pieces are considered unduly difficult for candidates under exam conditions. Typical examples of English-language texts at the appropriate level are editorials in national newspapers, or articles in magazines aimed at an educated audience. More technical or academic material may also be used if adequate context is provided within the passage.

Even passages that meet the above criteria can be rejected for other reasons. For example, the source text may be too easily recognizable (e.g., Abraham Lincoln鈥檚 Gettysburg Address or Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.鈥檚 鈥淚 Have a Dream鈥� speech). Or the text may be available on a bilingual or multilingual website that includes the language being tested (e.g., the BBC World Service publishes news coverage in dozens of languages). Similarly, if it turns out that the text was not originally written in the selected source language鈥攍et鈥檚 say an online piece in English is actually a well-translated article from Agence France Presse鈥攊t鈥檚 automatically ruled out as an exam passage.

With these criteria in mind, let鈥檚 look at the steps for converting a raw text into an approved exam passage.

Initial Sourcing and Counterpart Review

Once a group of graders has found a text that satisfies the specified criteria, it鈥檚 edited for length, and some recasting of sentences may be done to eliminate unfair challenges or introduce desirable elements, but without distorting the style and tone of the original text. In other words, most passages are authentic鈥攖aken 鈥渇rom the wild,鈥� so to speak鈥攂ut they are typically modified to some degree to make them more suitable for exam purposes. All graders in the workgroup then decide whether a passage is worth pursuing. If it is, then it undergoes counterpart review. This means the prospective passage is sent to the language chair or another grader from the counterpart group (i.e., a native speaker of the source language), who checks the text for possible usage or spelling errors and confirms that the text is authentic (mainly that it鈥檚 not itself a translation).

Sample Translations and PSTF Review

Once a passage is cleared by the counterpart group, one or more graders prepare a sample translation of the text, working under actual exam conditions (i.e., using allowed resources and adhering to the time limit) to further assess the text鈥檚 suitability. If any unfair challenges or other problems are identified and the workgroup wishes to alter the text, the counterpart group is again consulted. Once the final text is decided on, the workgroup completes the passage selection form (PSF), which contains the source text, a sample translation, and lists at least three challenges at the word level and three challenges at the sentence level. These challenges must be described in English for the reviewer, a fellow grader serving as a member of the Passage Selection Task Force (PSTF), who doesn鈥檛 necessarily know the other language.

The PSTF reviewer鈥檚 task is to confirm that the proposed passage satisfies program-wide standards for passages and that the challenges are articulated adequately. The reviewer may go back to the workgroup with questions or proposed tweaks. Once the passage is approved, it鈥檚 added to the workgroup鈥檚 queue of passages for future use, which is maintained by Certification Program Manager Caron Bailey. At this point, any graders who haven鈥檛 already done so prepare a sample translation of the passage under actual exam conditions. The aim here is to identify problems that haven鈥檛 been spotted thus far (e.g., ambiguities) and that necessitate modification of the passage before it鈥檚 used in an actual exam. Should any changes arise at this point, the revised passage is submitted to Caron.

Passage-Specific Guidelines

After this long series of steps is completed, including all the grader translations, the life of the passage is just beginning. To prepare for marking candidates鈥� translations, the team of graders develop a set of passage-specific guidelines, or PSGs. (We鈥檙e fond of acronyms in this program!) These guidelines contain a list of challenges and possible translations, both acceptable and unacceptable, that graders agree to score the same way. For example, the PSGs might specify that translating the same source term as 鈥淭reasury Ministry鈥� in one paragraph and 鈥淔inance Ministry鈥� in the next merits a four-point Cohesion Error (or COH4), given the significant impact on the meaning and usefulness of the translation, whereas a misplaced comma might be only a one-point Punctuation Error (or P1). (See the Framework for Standardized Error Marking² and the Flowchart for Error Point Decisions³ on ATA鈥檚 website.) The idea is to eliminate subjectivity in grading as much as possible, even though each candidate produces a unique translation that鈥檚 graded in a unique manner. As long as a passage is in use, its PSGs are discussed (sometimes vehemently!) and modified as new candidate translations come in. When the passage in question is retired, the corresponding PSGs continue to be consulted and amended if the passage becomes a practice test.

From this general description, you can probably tell why ATA certification exam graders find passage selection so challenging. It鈥檚 a complex process requiring adherence to various criteria. In view of the amount of time and effort that goes into each exam text in every language pair, it鈥檚 no surprise that passage security is a central concern in administering the exam. Replacing a spoiled passage is no small matter!

Notes

2. Framework for Standardized Error Marking.
3. Flowchart for Error Point Decisions.

Larry Bogoslaw, CT is chief editor and publishing director at East View Press, an academic publisher in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After earning an MA in Italian and a PhD in Slavic languages and literatures, he co-founded the Minnesota Translation Laboratory, a community language service. He has taught Russian and translation courses at various colleges and universities. An ATA-certified Russian>English and Spanish>English translator, he serves as deputy chair of ATA鈥檚 Certification Committee. larry@translab.us

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

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. david@bullcitylang.com

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1. Create a more definitive statement describing the level of performance targeted by the credential. If, indeed, the certification is 鈥渁 mid-career credential for experienced, professional translators or interpreters,鈥� what does this mean from a practical perspective? What type of experience is necessary to be successful in the certification process? How much experience is needed? What鈥檚 meant by 鈥減rofessional鈥� translators and interpreters鈥攈ow are these individuals different from others who might apply for certification? [鈥
2. Once the level of certification has been more clearly defined, it鈥檚 very important that this be communicated effectively to the community. When prospects aren鈥檛 provided with sufficient information regarding what鈥檚 required for success, they may pursue certification before they鈥檙e ready. This typically results in lower overall pass rates, as does the absence of eligibility requirements.

ATA鈥檚 Certification Committee has now adopted a definitive statement describing the level of performance targeted by the exam, and with this column we鈥檙e communicating that statement to the community.

ATA鈥檚 Certification Committee Statement on Level of Performance (Approved May 2022)

ATA certification is a professional credential that attests to a high level of competence in accurately and naturally translating texts on a variety of topics, resulting in translations that are publishable after routine editing and proofing.

The ATA certification examination is designed to test a range of skills that include:

• Full comprehension of the source-language text, including cultural references and figures of speech.
• Strong writing skills in the target language.
• The successful application of translation strategies to compose a target-language text that fully and precisely conveys the meaning intended in the source text; reflects its style, tone, and register; achieves the purpose of the translation; and meets the needs of the translation鈥檚 target audience (as specified in the translation instructions)

The minimum level of performance targeted by the examination is based on the standard of 鈥淧rofessional Performance鈥� as defined by the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR).²

To ensure consistency of grading to this standard, the examination consists of source texts at a level equivalent to ILR Reading Level 3.³ Texts are typically selected from the following genres:

• News stories (e.g., articles, commentaries, or features in major periodicals)
• Correspondence and reports (general subject matter)
• Technical material (with adequate contextual information)
• Academic articles and books (with adequate contextual information)

The examination does not target specific subject areas, such as law, finance, science, or medicine, although source passages may include some specialized terms that can be found readily in general reference sources. The texts are sophisticated enough to include not just facts, but also abstract language, hypotheses, argumentation, and supported opinions.

The level of translation competence targeted by the examination is based on the ILR standard for Translation Performance Level 3.⁴ Key expectations are as follows:

• 100% comprehension of the source text, with or without resources.
• A translated text that accurately conveys the facts, views, and arguments presented in the source text.
• Style and wording that generally adhere to target-language norms and do not obscure meaning.
• Few or no errors in grammar, usage, spelling, or punctuation.

A passing examination is not expected to be perfect. The minimum acceptable standard is a polished draft translation, subject to quality control.

Understanding the Statement

The Statement on Level of Performance is not meant to discourage qualified translators from taking the certification exam. On the contrary, the aim is to clarify publicly what the standards are for earning the credential. In turn, we hope to give potential candidates realistic expectations and also ease the level of anxiety that comes with any testing situation. The key takeaways here are:

1. Your work on the exam doesn鈥檛 have to be perfect, but it does need to show that you can fully understand a source text and communicate its content clearly in your target language鈥攏ot only the details, but the way they come together to form an overall description or argument.
2. The exam is unlike a real translation assignment in that you aren鈥檛 given a 鈥渟tyle sheet鈥� or a glossary鈥攋ust general translation instructions, which only occasionally will give away a technical term or abbreviation. Therefore, you already need to be familiar with the style and feel of typical published texts in your target language (e.g., articles, essays, and opinion pieces).

Please note that the Knapp Review quotes ATA鈥檚 definition of translator certification as 鈥渁 mid-career credential.鈥� Until recently, it was defined this way on ATA鈥檚 website and in other public materials, which may have unduly discouraged less experienced translators. We鈥檝e decided to remove that descriptor because decades of grading experience have shown that there鈥檚 no ideal profile of a successful certification candidate. Even when ATA鈥檚 Certification Program introduced eligibility requirements (ERs)鈥攁 combination of education and/or years of professional experience鈥攖he result was that the number of candidates decreased, but the overall pass rate didn鈥檛 rise. We concluded that the ERs had denied some qualified translators access to the exam and that any future ERs would need to be more accurate predictors of performance on the certification exam. Thus far, the best-known predictor is performance on the practice test.⁵ So, if you鈥檙e interested in getting certified, try a practice test and see how you do!

Notes

5. Preparing for ATA鈥檚 Certification Exam: Benefits of Taking a Practice Test.

Larry Bogoslaw, CT is chief editor and publishing director at East View Press, an academic publisher in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After earning an MA in Italian and a PhD in Slavic languages and literatures, he co-founded the Minnesota Translation Laboratory, a community language service. He has taught Russian and translation courses at various colleges and universities. An ATA-certified Russian>English and Spanish>English translator, he serves as deputy chair of ATA鈥檚 Certification Committee. larry@translab.us

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.
david@bullcitylang.com

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Learn more about ATA Certification

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Proctoring Online versus In Person: What鈥檚 the Difference?

A proctor鈥檚 role is to (a) ensure that the translations produced are the candidate鈥檚 work alone, and (b) safeguard the confidentiality of exam passages. This means monitoring what websites are accessed by candidates during the exam to verify that no machine translation, email, or chat rooms are used. (For a complete list of resources that are allowed or prohibited, see ATA鈥檚 website.³)

Proctors at in-person sittings check in candidates and hand out envelopes containing the passages and the USB drives where candidate鈥檚 save their work. Proctors announce the start of the exam then walk around the room observing screens and monitoring behavior for the three-hour exam period. Once time is up, they collect the USB drives and papers and check that nothing has been saved on candidates鈥� computers. The head proctor returns all exam materials to ATA Headquarters.

Proctors at online sittings have a more focused role. ExamRoom.AI, the remote online proctoring company ATA partnered with, performs the 鈥渙nboarding鈥� steps of checking identification, reviewing our exam rules (which candidates already received by email and agreed to when they registered), and logging candidates in to start the exam. The proctor鈥檚 job begins at that point.

Online exam security is significant, through a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and live proctors. Proctors view candidates and their screens remotely and can communicate with candidates to warn them if they engage in prohibited behavior. It鈥檚 much easier to monitor website use online than in person, and the AI records every exam and flags prohibited behavior. Flagged behaviors can be reviewed with the exam recording later if needed.

Candidates鈥� translations are saved automatically and candidates鈥� screens have a countdown timer showing their remaining time, so online proctors don鈥檛 have to track the time. Because all materials are online, proctors are not responsible for sending anything to ATA Headquarters.

The main difference between an online and in-person exam for candidates and proctors alike is that the staff at ExamRoom.AI serve as the direct contact and 鈥渇irst-line鈥� proctors. They know the system and can answer all technical questions quickly. They also have ATA鈥檚 guidelines and can answer basic questions about our exam rules. ATA proctors can hear verbal exchanges and communicate with vendor staff to relay responses if needed. Our proctors also communicate anything they want to flag to the vendor staff via private chat.

How Do You Qualify to Proctor?

ATA proctors for the online exam must be ATA-certified translators (CTs). CTs who plan to test in another language pair may not proctor in the year they will take the exam. Proctors are paid a $75 honorarium for each exam sitting and must attend a training session to learn about the new online modality to be eligible. Once trained, proctors sign up for predetermined sittings (i.e., online dates and times scheduled by ATA Headquarters). Spots are opened to candidates based on the number of proctors available: currently, at a 5:1 candidate-to-proctor ratio.

Where Do You Sign Up?

We鈥檙e very proud of our proctors鈥� dedicated service to our program! ATA would not be able to offer a certification exam, in person or online, without these key actors. If you鈥檙e a certified translator and interested in helping fellow translators by joining their ranks, please contact Caron Bailey, ATA鈥檚 Certification Program manager, at certification@atanet.org to learn more.

Notes

1. For a list of available exam sittings, see .
2. Hansen, Mich猫le. 鈥淭he Online Exam Is Here!鈥� (The ATA Chronicle, July/August 2021) .
3. ATA Computerized Exam Online Resource List: What鈥檚 Permitted and What鈥檚 Not, .

Mich猫le Hansen, CT is chair of ATA鈥檚 Certification Committee. An ATA-certified French>English translator and editor since 1990, she specializes in the health-related international development, medical, and pharmaceutical sectors. She previously served as administrator of ATA鈥檚 French Language Division. michele@globalhealthlanguage.com

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Remote testing has been under discussion for some time, but the lockdowns and other restrictions in 2020 propelled the Certification Committee to ramp up its efforts last summer to find a suitable vendor and platform to make this model a reality as soon as possible. We started with a list of nearly 20 options, many of which were ruled out because they were unable to accommodate non-Roman writing systems. Language-wise, Arabic has proven particularly difficult for vendors to manage due to the right-to-left writing direction. We briefly considered moving exams online just for certain languages but decided it would delay the development of some exams, might increase costs since we would be working with multiple vendors, and would be confusing to exam candidates (with information and instructions changing once for the initial vendor and then again later on).

Another sticking point has been the nature of our exam model. Many online testing platforms don鈥檛 allow test takers to exit the platform once they start their exam. This restriction disables access to other programs on candidates鈥� computers, as well as to the internet. These platforms won鈥檛 work for us since we allow internet access to non-interactive websites¹ and allow candidates to use some resources they have stored on their computers, such as glossaries or dictionary apps.

Proctoring has also been a hurdle. Some potential vendors use only automated systems that often flag apparent violations like accessing outside websites, while others only work with their own proctors. Because ATA allows access to certain online sites but not others, it鈥檚 best for us to use our own specially trained proctors, who are translators themselves. However, most vendors are unwilling to create custom arrangements just for us because ATA鈥檚 exam volume (on the order of 500 exams per year) is small compared to, say, universities or organizations of nurses or accountants.

After extensive online research, email exchanges, telephone calls, virtual meetings, and live demos, we鈥檝e identified a company we believe will be a good match. We鈥檝e had multiple meetings with this vendor to explain our model and requirements, including calls with their programmers to tailor the interface to work with our various languages. We had a pilot test in January and scheduled more testing in February and March. We鈥檙e in the process of negotiating a contract and have started writing the instructions for candidates and proctors. Some details need to be reviewed by ATA Headquarters staff and possibly legal counsel. Once the administrative obstacles have been cleared, we鈥檒l be able to share our proprietary exam passages with the remote testing vendor, start training our proctors, and move into beta testing.

The path has taken many twists and turns, but we鈥檙e close to reaching our destination of at-home testing. We鈥檒l be sharing much more information in the coming weeks and months as the details get hammered out and this more convenient model becomes available to our members later this year. Thanks for your patience and stay tuned!

Note

1. For a complete list of acceptable resources allowed during the exam, check out the 鈥淐omputerized Exam Online Resource List鈥� on ATA鈥檚 website, .

Mich猫le Hansen, CT is chair of ATA鈥檚 Certification Committee. An ATA-certified French>English translator and editor since 1990, she specializes in the health-related international development, medical, and pharmaceutical sectors. In addition to her freelance work, she has taught French>English medical translation for the translation certificate programs at New York University and the University of Chicago. She previously served as administrator of ATA鈥檚 French Language Division. michele@globalhealthlanguage.com

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The realities of social distancing and stay-at-home orders are motivating the Certification Program to consider ways to alleviate similar situations in the future. One obvious focus is on ways to administer the exam remotely (i.e., allow candidates to take the exam from home). With the pandemic, ATA has spent more time and resources exploring these options. We鈥檙e finding that exam logistics and security options have improved in recent months. The 鈥渟ilver lining鈥� of the pandemic, perhaps, is that it once again put at-home testing at the top of our agenda. We have researched platforms, interviewed vendors, and tested several options. We haven鈥檛 found the right solution for us yet but are working hard to get this implemented in 2021.

Other significant program activities last year included grading practice tests, preparing new exam passages, and developing and conducting continuing education for the graders.

As one of the Chinese>English graders, I attended our most recent training events in October and November, which, like so much else last year, were offered remotely rather than in person. Designed and led by our longtime grader trainer and expert Larry Bogoslaw, those Zoom sessions informed us graders of the ongoing improvements to our highly detailed and regarded exam grading rubrics, flowcharts, procedures, and rules. Larry is constantly reviewing these tools and processes to ensure the program is applying best practices consistently and fairly across all the language pairs we test.

Speaking of online offerings, conferences and other events that have been moved online are still eligible for continuing education points (CEPs). An approved live, online event counts for CEPs under Category A, with the same points awarded and the same restrictions as a live, in-person event. Anything recorded and reviewed at one鈥檚 leisure may also count, but under Category B. An example of this would be the ATA58 recording recently made available for free to the membership.² If you already passed the exam, any downtime you might be experiencing now might be a good time to earn CEPs! .

One aspect of the program that remains unaffected is the practice test. In the absence of exam activities, this is a great time to take one or more practice tests. These are retired exam passages that the candidate purchases online, translates, and returns for grading and feedback. Because the certification exam itself is not returned, the practice test is the only way we can provide feedback to candidates, so it is highly recommended. .

As we round the corner of this pandemic and head into a new year, the Certification Program is looking forward to returning to our former activity levels and offering a more convenient testing model to our members. Stay tuned!

Notes

1. Stephenson, David. 鈥淐OVID-19 and Certification,鈥� The ATA Chronicle (May/June 2020), 38, .
2. You can find the ATA58 session recording here: .

Jim Jones is a freelance translator for Chinese, German, and Spanish into English. He is also an editor, illustrator, and cartoonist. He serves as the language chair of ATA鈥檚 Chinese>English certification exam. He has an MA in linguistics and is currently studying for a second MA (English composition). han4yu3@gmail.com

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In the early months of the crisis, as most areas were in some form of lockdown, several previously scheduled exam sittings had to be canceled, and it was not until July that a protocol was developed for holding sittings safely. Since then, four sittings have been held involving 30 candidates鈥攁 far cry from the more than 400 people who take the exam in a typical year.

The difficulties of holding in-person sittings can be obviated by adopting a workable model for administering the exam remotely (i.e., with candidates taking it at home on their own computer). This has long been an aspiration of the Certification Program, but past efforts to move in that direction have been stymied by an inability to identify vendors that can meet our requirements with regard to language/keyboard support, internet access, and, above all, security. Still, great strides have been made in the remote testing sector, even before the pandemic spurred greater interest in and demand for a variety of offerings. At this point, I can say that we鈥檙e very optimistic about having a home testing option in place within the next year without compromising any of our standards.

Another challenge facing the Certification Committee is the implementation of the Knapp review.¹ Last winter, the Board commissioned Knapp & Associates International to review the 2000 Hamm Report² with an eye to validating its findings. Knapp concluded that the vast majority of Hamm鈥檚 recommendations remain valid, so the Committee was tasked with drawing up a roadmap for implementing the Knapp review findings or鈥攚here appropriate鈥攑resenting justification for not implementing individual recommendations.

During a Zoom meeting in July, the Certification Committee developed such a preliminary roadmap, which it presented to the Board. The identified short-term goals include formulating a more definitive statement describing the level of performance targeted by the credential (which has since been completed), developing a discipline policy to address behavior or practices that are unacceptable to the Certification Program (to be implemented in conjunction with the Ethics Committee), and reconsidering the current appeals policy. Medium-term objectives include developing an online grader training module, formulating revised eligibility requirements, exploring ways to give candidates more feedback on their performance, and establishing high-level strategic goals. Much of this will be rather labor-intensive, and progress will depend on efforts made by dedicated volunteers. But the Certification Committee will press forward, always in the interest of enhancing the status of ATA Certification.

This is my last column as Certification Committee chair. It鈥檚 been my honor to serve in that position for six years, after five years as deputy chair. During that period, the program has undergone many changes, not least of all the final transition to computerized testing. I鈥檓 confident that the Certification Program will remain a robust asset no matter what challenges arise, under the capable leadership of Mich猫le Hansen and Larry Bogoslaw.

Notes

1. Knapp, Lorena. 鈥淐ertification Consultant鈥檚 Statement on the Membership Requirement for ATA Certification,鈥� The ATA Chronicle (July/August 2020), 12, .
2. ATA Accreditation Program Report (Michael Hamm & Associates, 2000), .

David Stephenson, CT is the outgoing 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. Contact: david@stephensontranslations.com.

The post Enhancing the Status of ATA Certification appeared first on 情侣自拍 (ATA).

One important question was whether the Certification Program would have the staffing to cover any increase in the grading workload if there were a surge in exams after decoupling. The answer was a resounding yes. Every language pair has its own grading team (that is, English>French, for instance, has a separate team from French>English) consisting of at least three graders. Many grader teams handle only a moderate number of exams each year, and some have very low volume. These teams would certainly welcome the opportunity to process more exams. Meanwhile, Spanish>English and English>Spanish, which account for more than half of the exams administered, have larger teams that are well prepared to handle any surge in exams.

Another question was whether graders would have any concerns about grading nonmember exams. The answer here is mostly not. The vast majority of graders feel that grading exams is a service that they are happy to provide, regardless of whether the candidate is a member or not. (Note that while graders are paid to grade exams, they also spend volunteer time on other certification duties such as training and passage selection.) A few graders are opposed to eliminating the membership requirement, while others think of grading as a service to the translation profession as a whole, not just to ATA members. So, the bottom line here is that, if and when decoupling does occur, there will be plenty of willing graders to do the work.

Two and a half years ago, the Certification Committee suggested that it was time to have the Hamm Report revalidated, and earlier this year the Board commissioned a firm with expertise in certification (Knapp & Associates) to produce such a review. Here are some of the key findings:

• 鈥淢ost of the Hamm Report recommendations (and rationales for the recommendations) remain pertinent today.鈥�
• 鈥淭he Certification Committee has been making great strides in strengthening the Certification Program.鈥�
• 鈥淚n our review, we noted a number of additional improvements that could be made in the Certification Program. Some of these would bring the program into compliance with certification industry standards, while others may be beneficial or advisable from an operational or customer satisfaction perspective.鈥�

Regarding decoupling specifically, the Knapp Review indicates that the Hamm Report recommended 鈥渞emoving membership as a criteria鈥� and states: 鈥淭his is required by standards and advisable for a variety of reasons as outlined in the separate statement provided by Knapp on this topic.鈥� The full text of that separate statement appeared in the July/August edition of The ATA Chronicle.²

The Knapp Review contains 35 recommendations for improving the Certification Program, of which decoupling is only one. The Certification Committee met virtually in July to review these recommendations and classify them into short-, medium-, and long-term priorities. Over the past several weeks, the committee has been working on the short-term priorities, including creating a more definitive statement describing the level of performance targeted by the credential and developing a comprehensive policies and procedure manual for the entire Certification Program. Over the coming weeks and months, the Certification Committee will continue to work on many of the other recommendations, such as a discipline policy, evaluating the pass rate, grader selection policies, training for graders, and improving record-keeping.

Whether or not decoupling is implemented is outside the purview of the Certification Committee, but we鈥檒l continue to maintain and improve the high standards of testing quality that make being 鈥淎TA-certified鈥� the respected translation credential it is today.

Notes

1. ATA Accreditation Program Report (Michael Hamm & Associates, 2000), .
2. Knapp, Lorena. 鈥淐ertification Consultant鈥檚 Statement on the Membership Requirement for ATA Certification,鈥� The ATA Chronicle (July/August 2020), 12, .

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. Contact: david@stephensontranslations.com.

The post Decoupling and the Certification Committee appeared first on 情侣自拍 (ATA).