CERTIFICATION OF TRANSLATORS AND INTERPRETERS Seminar on Standards

CERTIFICATION OF TRANSLATORS AND INTERPRETERS Seminar on Standards and Certifications in the T&I Industry Munich • Prague • Vienna March 2004 © Jiri Stejskal, Ph. D

Overview l l 2 International Certification Study Certification in the US ATA Certification FIT Status Committee March 2004 © Jiri Stejskal, Ph. D

International Certification Study l l 3 2000 ATA International Accreditation Survey The Hamm Report Articles in ATA Chronicle Key Findings March 2004 © Jiri Stejskal, Ph. D

International Certification Study l l l 4 Brazil South Africa Egypt Australia Czech Republic Canada (2 x) Finland Sweden Austria U. K. and Ireland Argentina Norway l l l l l March 2004 Denmark Japan Spain and Portugal Ukraine Germany Mexico Colombia, Uruguay, and Venezuela Belgium and the Netherlands Arab countries U. S. (2 x) © Jiri Stejskal, Ph. D

International Certification Study Credentialing Methods l l 5 Certification Accreditation Registration Licensure March 2004 © Jiri Stejskal, Ph. D

International Certification Study Certification: A voluntary process by which an organization grants recognition to an individual who has met certain predetermined qualification standards. Accreditation: A process by which an entity grants public recognition to an organization such as a school, institute, college, program, facility, or company that has met predetermined standards. 6 March 2004 © Jiri Stejskal, Ph. D

International Certification Study Registration: A process by which the possession of specific credentials relevant to performing tasks and responsibilities within a given field is verified. Licensure: A mandatory credentialing process by which a government agency grants permission to persons to engage in a given occupation or profession by attesting that those licensed have attained the minimum degree of knowledge and skills required. 7 March 2004 © Jiri Stejskal, Ph. D

International Certification Study Credentialing Bodies l l l 8 Professional Associations Government Academic Institutions March 2004 © Jiri Stejskal, Ph. D

International Certification Study Eligibility Requirements: Professional Associations l l l l 9 Membership Education Experience References or referrals from peers, clients, or employers Mandatory mentoring program Mandatory seminar on ethics or best practices Screening test in the language of the given country March 2004 © Jiri Stejskal, Ph. D

International Certification Study Eligibility Requirements: Government l l l 10 Minimum age (18, 21, or 25) Citizenship Place of residence Legal competence of the candidate Clean criminal record March 2004 © Jiri Stejskal, Ph. D

Certification in the US l l l 11 Federal Court Interpreter Certification Program State Court Interpreter Certification National Judiciary Interpreter and Translator Certification ATA Certification Other Credentials March 2004 © Jiri Stejskal, Ph. D

ATA Certification Eligibility Requirements As of January 1, 2004, the following eligibility requirements apply: • • 12 Education/Experience; and Acknowledgment of the Code of Professional Conduct and Business Practices. March 2004 © Jiri Stejskal, Ph. D

ATA Certification Education/Experience l l l 13 Advanced degree or approved T&I degree/certificate, OR Bachelor’s degree plus 2 years of experience, OR Less than Bachelor’s degree plus 5 years of experience. March 2004 © Jiri Stejskal, Ph. D

ATA Certification Education/Experience l l 14 Holders of current ATA certification or certification awarded by a foreign T&I organization approved by the Certifications Committee fulfill this requirement automatically. The Education and Training Committee will compile a list of approved T&I degrees and/or T&I certificates. March 2004 © Jiri Stejskal, Ph. D

ATA Certification Code of Professional Conduct The applicants are required to sign a statement that they have read and that they understand the ATA Code of Professional Conduct and Business Practices, and that they pledge to abide by it. The statement includes rules of using the credential, if granted, and describes the consequences for false claims and failure to abide by the Code. 15 March 2004 © Jiri Stejskal, Ph. D

ATA Certification Continuing Education Requirements l l l 16 20 credits over 3 years Maximum of 10 credits in any year (you can take more, it just won’t count) 1 ethics credit within 3 years of accreditation March 2004 © Jiri Stejskal, Ph. D

ATA Certification Category Maximums l l l 17 10 hours per translation-related seminar or workshop 5 hours per translation-related course 2 hours per business-, tools-, ethics-, specialization-, or target language-related course, up to 5 hours per 3 -year period March 2004 © Jiri Stejskal, Ph. D

ATA Certification Category Maximums (cont’d) l l 18 2 hours for professional association memberships 6 hours for ATA certification activities and/or mentoring March 2004 © Jiri Stejskal, Ph. D

ATA Certification Category Maximums (cont’d) l l 19 3 hours for acquiring a professional program or government translation or interpretation credential 4 hours for publications March 2004 © Jiri Stejskal, Ph. D

ATA Certification Credit Hours Awarded l l l 20 Hour-for-hour credit for coursework (taking or teaching) 1 hour for each professional membership 1 hour for each ATA accreditation and/or mentoring activity March 2004 © Jiri Stejskal, Ph. D

ATA Certification Credit Hours Awarded (cont’d) l l l 21 1 hour for each professional program or government translation or interpretation credential acquired during the 3 -year period 2 hours for publication of an article 4 hours for publication of a book March 2004 © Jiri Stejskal, Ph. D

FIT Status Committee l l 22 The mission of the Status Committee is to examine the status of the translation and interpretation (T&I) profession throughout the world. The Status Committee collects information relevant to the status of translators and interpreters through direct contact with representatives of professional organizations, academic institutions, and governmental agencies in various countries. March 2004 © Jiri Stejskal, Ph. D

THANK YOU Jiri Stejskal: jiri@cetra. com ATA: www. atanet. org FIT: www. fit-ift. org March 2004 © Jiri Stejskal, Ph. D