ATA plans to open certification to non-members

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kaushar balapariya
kaushar balapariya
India
Local time: 21:19
Member (2016)
English to Gujarati
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Should Add more Language pairs in Certification Jul 2, 2019

I Think ATA should add more language pairs like Indian Languages in their Certification program and also They can offer worldwide online exam. It will be more beneficial to Translator community.

DEVANATHAN RENGACHARI
Elizabeth Adams
Aakash5555
Tradupro17
Hatim Ali
Pawn Olson (X)
Dhanashri Bhate
 
DZiW (X)
DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
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What's the use: biz scalability Jul 2, 2019

One-time ATA-certified non-members...

New areas and income sources is ok for stability and prosperity for sure, yet while there may be good intentions, it could easily come down to ATA-approved certifying bodies and diploma/certificate mills, selling fancy papers to non-translators...

Perhaps, they would adapt the ATA offer and specify the services, but now: Why should non-members care for buying one-time/temporary expensive certificates without real benefits
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One-time ATA-certified non-members...

New areas and income sources is ok for stability and prosperity for sure, yet while there may be good intentions, it could easily come down to ATA-approved certifying bodies and diploma/certificate mills, selling fancy papers to non-translators...

Perhaps, they would adapt the ATA offer and specify the services, but now: Why should non-members care for buying one-time/temporary expensive certificates without real benefits? I can't even think of any such prospect--in any language.
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Kevin Fulton
Olga Koloko
Liviu-Lee Roth
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 16:49
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
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Just to summarise Jul 3, 2019

Just to summarise:
1. The ATA is concerned that "professional credentials linked to membership in a specific organization enjoy less prestige among key stakeholders and the general public", thus their decision to unlink the accreditation from membership.
2. The exam fee for non-members will be "significantly" higher.
3. The accreditation is not a once-off affair: even as a non-member you'd still have to satisfy the periodic continuing education (CE) poi
... See more
Just to summarise:
1. The ATA is concerned that "professional credentials linked to membership in a specific organization enjoy less prestige among key stakeholders and the general public", thus their decision to unlink the accreditation from membership.
2. The exam fee for non-members will be "significantly" higher.
3. The accreditation is not a once-off affair: even as a non-member you'd still have to satisfy the periodic continuing education (CE) points requirement (if you don't, accreditation lapses).
4. Non-members will not be listed in the ATA directory (regardless of whether you're accredited).


I'm not sure how the ATA plans to absorb the cost of administration of CE points -- will the ATA validate non-members' CE points for free? No, I believe it would be fair for the ATA to charge a small annual administration fee for that.
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Bryan Crumpler
Liviu-Lee Roth
 
Oliver Simões
Oliver Simões  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 08:49
English to Portuguese
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What's the use: biz scalability Jul 11, 2019

DZiW wrote:
New areas and income sources is ok for stability and prosperity for sure, yet while there may be good intentions, it could easily come down to ATA-approved certifying bodies and diploma/certificate mills, selling fancy papers to non-translators...


I doubt it. Being a translator is no assurance of getting certified by ATA. Their passing rate is very low and will probably continue the same. If most translators don't pass their certification exam, let alone non-translators.


Diana Coada (X)
Morano El-Kholy
Jorge Payan
 
Eliza Hall
Eliza Hall
United States
Local time: 11:49
French to English
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Why is their passing rate so low Sep 15, 2019

Out of curiosity, why is the passing rate so low? Especially given that their exams are open-book?

 
LEXpert
LEXpert  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 10:49
Member (2008)
Croatian to English
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Some thoughts Sep 16, 2019

Eliza Hall wrote:

Out of curiosity, why is the passing rate so low? Especially given that their exams are open-book?


it varies, but I believe that statistically most failures are by candidates trying to translate into a non-native language. You can make of that what you will.
The "open book" element (along with the recent addition of keyboarded tests) is intended more to allow the test to reflect the translator's normal professional working environment and resources, and thus real-world conditions, as much as possible (with obvious limitations, e.g. without capabilities such as communications that could comprise the integrity of the test or confidentiality of the test materials). It isn't really intended to the make the test "easier" (think of all the translators you encounter who have all possible resources, as well as ample time and no test pressure, even the ability to ask their friends or bombard KudoZ for help, and STILL can't put together a decent translation!).

@Samuel
There is already a fee for CE point validation, even for members. I don't know if the fee would be higher for non-members or not.

@Kaushar
The (somewhat lengthy) process to add a language combination is entirely member-driven. The initiative to add, for example, Hindi would have to come through a highly organized effort by the Hindi-En or En-Hindi translators who are already ATA members.


 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 16:49
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
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@Eliza Sep 16, 2019

Eliza Hall wrote:
Out of curiosity, why is the passing rate so low? Especially given that their exams are open-book?


I believe a low pass rate is quite normal for translation tests. The marking on such tests is very strict.

Not having access to a dictionary will certainly put some downward pressure on the pass mark, but having dictionaries, grammars and style guides at one's disposal will not allow a mediocre translator to pass himself off as a good one.

Also, candidates tend to underestimate the difficulty of such tests. Also, candidates tend to over-estimate their own skills (it is a known phenomenon that smart people tend to think that they are far smarter than they truly are). Also, while full-time students at college tend to learn the skill of writings exams, most people who write a translators' association's test are not used to writing exams and are out of practice with regard to the type of precision and decision-making it requires to write an exam. Also, don't forget that the candidates don't know exactly what the examiners' preferences are, so the risk is very real that you'll get an examiner assigned to you who subscribes to a different school of thought.



[Edited at 2019-09-16 06:19 GMT]


Diana Coada (X)
Laura Kingdon
 
Terry Costin
Terry Costin
Netherlands
Local time: 16:49
Dutch to English
Annual tests for examiners Sep 24, 2019

Who examines the examiners?

 
Tomasso
Tomasso  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 09:49
Member (2008)
Spanish to English
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ATA and AMA Oct 15, 2019

Those who know are irritated by those who think they know.

There is only one way to see the world, one way to translate, and like the AMA during the 50's the goal is not to produce more doctors but to make sure there are not too many. “Quelle persone che pensano di sapere tutto sono una grande irritazione per coloro che sanno .. Now this is just an opinion, the ATA left a bad taste in my mouth.


 
Hassan Bekhit Hassan
Hassan Bekhit Hassan  Identity Verified
Egypt
Local time: 17:49
Member (2016)
English to Arabic
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How to benefit from CE points earned by Proz.com to get ATA Certification or Membership? Oct 27, 2019

Hi Everyone,
I used to attend the annual proz.com events and earn CE points but I really do not recognize how to get the most out of these points to get ATA Certification or Membership and how can I benefit from this new plan of ATA. Could anyone clarify this point in more detail, please?
Thanks in advance!


 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 16:49
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
@Hassan Oct 28, 2019

Hassan Bekhit Hassan wrote:
I used to attend the annual ProZ.com events and earn CE points but...


Several translation associations have "continuing education" systems and may consider awarding "CE points" for various events, including certain ProZ.com events. However, the different associations' systems are different from each other and an event that is considered by one association as being worth CE points might not be considered worth CE points by another. So, if any ProZ.com event mentioned that it is worth "CE points", you'd have to find out which translation association's CE points were meant. It's not necessarily the ATA's CE points.

I really do not recognize how to get the most out of these points to get ATA Certification or Membership and how can I benefit from this new plan of ATA.


https://www.atanet.org/certification/aboutcont_record_requirments.php
Must accrue 20 "CE points" in every 3-year period. The first period starts immediately after certification. Extensions may be granted for long-term illness, military duty, etc.

Collecting CE points (even if those CE points are recognised by the ATA) won't help you to get ATA certified nor will it help you to get ATA membership. Anyone can join ATA (i.e. become a member). After you've become a member, you can apply for certification (this means writing a very difficult exam in person). After you've achieved certification, then you must start collecting CE points.

CE points that may have been available w.r.t. events that you attended before you became ATA certified, do not count. ATA CE points are irrelevant to you if you're not already ATA certified.

The only difference that this new system will make, AFAICS, is that previously you could only become ATA certified after you've become an ATA member, whereas with the new system you can become ATA certified even if you have not become an ATA member. Either way, only CE points from events that you attended *after* you became certified, will ever be relevant.


 
Arturo Delgado
Arturo Delgado  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 11:49
English to Spanish
Common Errors Dec 12, 2019

For Eliza and specially for English>Spanish translators, please read the article in the September/October 2019 ATA Chronicle: Common Errors Found in the Eng>Span Certification Exam. Some things might apply to other languages.
A very common mistake is mimicking the English Syntax. I passed the exam at the third try.


 


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ATA plans to open certification to non-members







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