Transcend Translations

ATA Accreditation is awarded after a candidate passes an open-book examination in English and one of 13 languages. Accreditation offers objective evidence to both translator and client that the translator possesses professional competence in a specific language combination.

Active Membership in ATA is awarded when a translator meets the ATA’s standards for experience and professional requirements, and when ATA does not yet have a testing mechanism for that language.

The National Center for State Courts created a Consortium for State Court
Interpreter Certification. They test in 12 languages and maintain a database of interpreters tested.

To pass the test, interpreters must possess mastery of two languages at the level of an educated native speaker, have the ability to interpret in the simultaneous, consecutive, and sight translation modes, and be able to convey messages accurately, completely, and promptly.

The tests have three parts: (1) sight translation of documents (foreign language into English and English into foreign language); (2) consecutive interpretation of testimony; and (3) simultaneous interpretation of an attorney's opening or closing argument to the judge or jury.

For more information, see: www.ncsconline.org

The Administrative Office of the United States Courts (AOUSC) administers the Spanish/English certification examinations to bilingual candidates across the
nation. The AOUSC maintains a roster of federal interpreters who have successfully completed written language proficiency and oral interpreting skills examinations in English and Spanish.

For more information, see: www.cps.ca.gov/FCICE-Spanish/aboutus.asp

California offers a Court Certification exam in the following languages: Arabic, Armenian (Western and Eastern), Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.

Applicants are cautioned that court interpreters must possess a level of expertise in both languages that far exceeds what is required for every day, informal bilingual conversation.

For more information, see: www.courtinfo.ca.gov/programs/courtinterpreters/

Society of Translators and Interpreters of British Columbia (STIBC), Canada

To become a Certified Member of STIBC, translators must pass a written examination. The exam is administered and adjudicated by the Canadian Translators and Interpreters Council (CTIC). The exam consists of three texts to be translated into the candidate's target language. Those who pass the exam (some 25%) receive STIBC and national certification recognized throughout the Canadian provinces.

For more information, contact: www.stibc.org/

U.N. interpreters must have a thorough knowledge of at least three of the organization's official languages (Arabic, English, French, Spanish, Russian, and Chinese). This linguistic knowledge must span political, economic, legal, and literary topics. A U.N. interpreter must also have a degree from a university and 200 days of experience as a conference interpreter.

Candidates for U.N. interpreters are required to pass an exam that tests their professional skill and proficiency in orally translating from one language to another at U.N. meetings.

For more information, see: www.un.org

Washington offers state certification examinations in five languages: Cantonese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Candidates must pass the state certification exam, which consists of a written component and an oral component. They are tested first on their knowledge of vocabulary, ethics, and court terminology on the written portion of the exam. Those who pass the written component are eligible to take the oral component, which tests their skills in simultaneous and consecutive interpretation and sight translation.