ATA's Certification Program - ILR Plenary February 26, 2021
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ATA’s Certification Program ILR Plenary February 26, 2021
David A. Stephenson, CT
• ATA Certification Committee Chair, 2014-2020
• Member of ATA Certification Committee since 2007
• Freelance translator specializing in civil litigation, economic
development & creative nonfiction
• Languages: German, Dutch, Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin,
and Serbian into English
• david@stephensontranslations.com
© 2021 American Translators Association 2What’s ahead
• ATA at a glance
• ATA’s Certification Program
• Overview/stats
• Exam format
• Skills tested
• ATA & ILR: Points of reference
• Q&A
© 2021 American Translators Association 3ATA at a glance
• World’s largest T&I organization • Programs include:
• ~ 10,000 members • Best business practices
• Translators and interpreters • Professional development
• Interpretation policy
• Annual conference with
upwards of 1,500 attendees • Government Division/GLOTF
• Translator certification
• Well-respected publications
• Website/directory (atanet.org)
© 2021 American Translators Association 4ATA: Government-related activity
• Encouraging the federal government/CDC to declare in-person
interpreters front-line workers with vaccination priority.
• Advocating for individuals in Iraq and Afghanistan who are in harm’s
way because of their language services provided to US military
presence in those countries.
• Working for exemption for T&I freelancers from California’s AB5 and
similar legislation in other states, which would threaten their
livelihood as independent contractors.
© 2021 American Translators Association 5ATA Certification: Overview
• Translator certification only (no interpreting credential)
• 30 language combinations currently offered
• Languages:
Arabic Dutch German Japanese Russian
Chinese Finnish Hungarian Polish Spanish Ukrainian
Croatian French Italian Portuguese Swedish
• In the pipeline: Korean, Farsi, Romanian
© 2021 American Translators Association 6ATA Certification: Stats
• Currently ~1,800 ATA-Certified Translators (CTs)
• Credential is available to ATA members only
• Cost: $525
• 400-500 exams administered in a normal year
• Average pass rate: < 20%
© 2021 American Translators Association 7ATA Certification: Exam format
• Three-hour exam administered in organized sittings
• Open book/resources, including limited internet access
• Live proctoring
• Bring your own laptop
• Handwritten option available
However…
© 2021 American Translators Association 8ATA Certification: Remote testing?
• COVID-19 has increased the impetus to explore remote (online)
testing.
• 2020 saw steep drop in exam volume: 400 ➜ 30.
• Good prospects for remote testing sometime in 2021.
• Format would include necessary security controls, including real-time
(but remote) proctoring.
© 2021 American Translators Association 9ATA Certification: The passages
• Candidate chooses 2 out of 3 texts to translate.
• Each passage is roughly 250 words.
• General subject matter; no specialized knowledge or dictionaries
needed.
• Each passage includes translation instructions, providing context for
the translation, were it a real-life assignment.
© 2021 American Translators Association 10ATA Certification: Instructions
• Example: A Croatian magazine of current affairs and social
commentary is launching a web edition in U.S. English aimed at
educated readers, and the following text is an excerpt from the
inaugural issue. Translate the following text for the specified purpose.
• Source, purpose, audience, medium.
• Providing translation instructions, or a brief for the assignment, is
consistent with best practices in translation and testing theory.
© 2021 American Translators Association 11ATA Certification: Passage selection
• Passages can be in any subject matter (nontechnical,
uncontroversial).
• Carefully vetted not only by the graders who select them and will be
grading them, but also by an internal task force to ensure intra-
program consistency.
• Challenges at text, sentence, word level must be articulated and
addressed in the selection and vetting process.
© 2021 American Translators Association 12ATA Certification: Skills tested
• Source language comprehension
• Target language proficiency
• Transfer skills
• Adherence to translation instructions
© 2021 American Translators Association 13ATA Certification: Comprehension
Does the translation demonstrate full understanding of the source
text?
• Attention to and understanding of the topic are used to help solve challenges and arrive at a
correct rendering.
• Attention to and understanding of the topic help the candidate use dictionaries competently.
• Everything integral to the source text is included in the target text, and nothing that is not
implicitly or explicitly stated by the author is added.
• Accurate analysis of the source text ensures that the target text reflects the view, argument,
or presented information on all levels (text, sentence, and word).
© 2021 American Translators Association 14ATA Certification: Target proficiency
Does the translation demonstrate good writing skills in the target
language?
• The target text flows smoothly and does not contain awkward expressions that
mark it distinctly as a translation.
• There are few or no mechanical errors (relating to grammar, usage, spelling, or
punctuation).
© 2021 American Translators Association 15ATA Certification: Transfer skills
Does the translation demonstrate solid familiarity with various
translation strategies?
• The view, argument, and information are presented appropriately for the target
culture.
• The syntax is appropriate to the target language; the target text does not
necessarily imitate the sentence structure of the source text.
• The idioms in the source text are rendered so as to convey a comparable meaning
in the target text.
• The wording is as unambiguous as possible.
© 2021 American Translators Association 16ATA Certification: Compliance
Does the translation demonstrate compliance with the translation
instructions provided for the passage?
• The translation is usable and intelligible in the specified context.
• The register, style, and wording match comparable documents written in the
target language.
© 2021 American Translators Association 17ATA Certification: What’s not tested
• Not a vocabulary drill
• No in-depth subject matter knowledge
• Research skills
• CAT and translation memory tools
© 2021 American Translators Association 18ATA Certification: Grading
• Each exam goes to 2 graders, and a 3rd if tie-breaker is needed.
• Error point scale is 1 / 2 / 4 / 8 / 16, depending on severity and
impact on usability of translation.
• Up to 3 quality points may be awarded.
• Pass is 17 points or lower in each passage.
• Failed candidates may request review (new set of eyes), and may
appeal a review that upholds the fail.
© 2021 American Translators Association 19ATA Certification: Practice test
ATA also offers a practice test:
• Retired exam passage
• Marked test is returned, showing error markings by point and
category, as well as grader feedback
• Affordable: $80 for members, $120 for nonmembers
© 2021 American Translators Association 20ATA Certification: Beyond the exam
Besides passing the exam, ATA-Certified Translators must
• Subscribe to the Code of Ethics/Standards of Practice
• Periodically submit Continuing Education units
© 2021 American Translators Association 21ATA & ILR: Points of reference
ATA refers to two of the ILR’s Language Skill Level Descriptions in
creating and administering the Certification Exam:
• Reading Levels
• Translation Levels
© 2021 American Translators Association 22ATA & ILR: Reading Levels (1)
ATA Certification Exam passages correspond roughly to
ILR Reading Level 3.
Excerpted from that descriptor, emphasis added:
[…] Text-types include news stories similar to wire service reports or international
news items in major periodicals, routine correspondence, general reports, and
technical material in his/her professional field; all of these may include
hypothesis, argumentation and supported opinions. […]
© 2021 American Translators Association 23ATA & ILR: Reading Levels (2)
From ATA’s passage selection standards (emphasis added):
• The passage should present a clear and coherent progression of thought and reasoning in which
the candidate may be required to follow an argument or supported opinion and possibly author
inference.
• Texts that present straightforward factual material are generally too easy, while highly evocative
pieces are usually too difficult. Editorials in newspapers such as the New York Times and the
Washington Post are typical examples of texts at the appropriate level.
• An ideal passage would require the candidate to read and translate at the paragraph level, i.e., to
follow a line of thought throughout an entire paragraph or text.
© 2021 American Translators Association 24ATA & ILR: Translation Levels (1)
Success in the ATA Certification Exam corresponds roughly to
ILR Translation Performance Level 3.
Excerpted from that descriptor, emphasis added:
[…] abstract language, showing an emerging ability to capture their intended implications and
many nuances. […] situations and events which are subject to value judgments of a personal or
institutional kind, as in some newspaper editorials […]. Linguistic knowledge of both the
terminology and the means of expression specific to a subject field is strong enough to allow
the translator to operate successfully within that field. Word choice and expression generally
adhere to target language norms and rarely obscure meaning.
© 2021 American Translators Association 25ATA & ILR: Translation Levels (2)
Skills tested by ATA
• Source language comprehension
Ø Capturing intended implications and nuances of abstract language
• Target language proficiency
Ø Adherence to target language norms with little or no obscuring of meaning
• Transfer skills
Ø Choosing the equivalent expression in the target language that both fully conveys and best matches the meaning
intended in the source language (congruity judgment)
• Adherence to translation instructions
Ø Linguistic knowledge strong enough to allow the translator to operate successfully within the given field
© 2021 American Translators Association 26ATA & ILR: Translation Levels (3)
From the Preface to ILR’s Skill Level Descriptions for Translation Performance:
In summary, an individual’s translation performance level depends on (1) command of two
languages, (2) ability to exercise congruity judgment and apply a translation methodology, (3)
familiarity with the cultural context of both languages, (4) knowledge of terminology in
specialized fields, and (5) ability to finalize the product within time constraints and according to
specifications.
Key: ATA definitely tests this / ATA tests this to some extent / ATA doesn’t test this
© 2021 American Translators Association 27Level 5 (Professional Performance) :
Can successfully translate virtually all texts, including those where lack of linguistic and cultural parallelism between the source
language and the target language requires precise congruity judgments and the ability to apply a translation methodology.
Expression is flawless. At this level, the translator consistently excels in a number of specialties, and is generally regarded as one
of the arbiters of translating very high level language by persons competent in dealing with such material. Nonetheless, the
resulting product may be subject to quality control.
Level 4+ (Professional Performance Plus) :
Can successfully apply a translation methodology to translate texts that contain highly original and special purpose language
(such as that contained in religious sermons, literary prose, and poetry). At this level, a successful performance requires not only
conveying content and register but also capturing to the greatest extent all nuances intended in the source document. Expression
is virtually flawless. Can produce fully accurate translations in a number of subject fields. When the need arises to perform in
areas outside of specialization, a translator at this level is able to reach a successful level of performance given the time
necessary for acquiring the relevant knowledge of the subject matter. The resulting product is a professional translation which
may be subject to quality control.
Level 4 (Professional Performance) :
Can successfully apply a translation methodology to translate a wide variety of complex texts that contain difficult, abstract,
idiomatic, highly technical, and colloquial writing. Able to capture subtleties, nuances, and tone and register (such as official,
formal, and informal writing). Such texts range from commentary reflecting a specific culture to analysis and argumentation.
Linguistic knowledge and familiarity with source language norms enable an individual at this level to translate handwritten
documents and other texts that represent spontaneous expression characteristic of the source language. Expression reflects
correct usage and consistent control of target language conventions. Can translate materials outside the individual’s specialties,
but may not reach the absolute subject matter accuracy of the specialist in the given field. The resulting product is a
professional translation which may be subject to quality control.
Level 3+ (Professional Performance) :
Can generally translate a variety of texts, such as many scientific or financial reports, some legal documents and some colloquial
writings. Can convey the meaning of many socio-cultural elements embedded in a text as well as most nuances and relatively
infrequent lexical and syntactic items of the source language. Expression reflects target language norms and usage. May be able
to operate in fields outside areas of specialty. The resulting product is a draft translation, subject to quality control.
Level 3 (Professional Performance) :
Can translate texts that contain not only facts but also abstract language, showing an emerging ability to capture their intended
implications and many nuances. Such texts usually contain situations and events which are subject to value judgments of a
personal or institutional kind, as in some newspaper editorials, propaganda tracts, and evaluations of projects. Linguistic
knowledge of both the terminology and the means of expression specific to a subject field is strong enough to allow the
translator to operate successfully within that field. Word choice and expression generally adhere to target language norms and
rarely obscure meaning. The resulting product is a draft translation, subject to quality control.
Level 2+ (Limited Performance):
Can render straightforward texts dealing with everyday matters that include statements of fact as well as some judgments,
opinion, or other elements which entail more than direct exposition, but do not contain figurative language, complicated
concepts, complex sentence structures, or instances of syntactic or semantic skewing. In these types of texts, the individual can
read source language materials and render them accurately into the target language, conveying the key points and/or main
ideas, supporting facts, most of the details, and some nuances. Can usually operate in more than one narrowly defined subject
field, using both linguistic knowledge of the languages involved and familiarity with the subject matter. A tendency to adhere to
source language structures may result in target language expressions that may appear to be correct but are awkward or perhaps
unidiomatic. Such expressions may sometimes obscure meaning. The resulting product is not a professional translation and must
be subject to quality control.
Level 2 (Limited Performance) :
Able to render into the target language some straightforward, factual texts in the standard variety of the source language. Can
typically render accurately uncomplicated prose (such as that used in short identification documents, simple letters,
instructions, and some narrative reports) that does not contain figurative language, complex sentence structures, embedding, or
instances of syntactic or semantic skewing. Can normally rely on knowledge of the subject matter to operate within one given
subject field, consisting of a narrow body of material that is routine, repetitive, and often predictable. Expression in the target
language may be faulty, frequently reflecting the structure and word order of the source language. To the extent that faulty
expression may obscure or distort meaning, accuracy will suffer. The resulting product is not a professional translation and must
be submitted to quality control.
Level 1+ (Minimal Performance) :
Able to scan source language texts for specific categories, topics, key points and/or main ideas, generally rendering an accurate
report on these but often missing supporting facts and details. Can to some extent render factual materials, such as records or
database entries, often relying on real-world knowledge or familiarity with the subject matter. Oversight and review of the
product are necessary.
Level 1 (Minimal Performace):
Able to make word by word transfers, not always with accuracy. May be able to identify documents by their label or headings and
scan graphic materials, such as charts and diagrams, for items of specific interest. Constant oversight and review of the product
are necessary.
Level 0+ (Minimal Performance)
Able to transfer very little information from one language into another, usually representing isolated words and/or phrases.
Accuracy is haphazard. Constant oversight is required.
Level 0 (Performance)
Has no practical ability to transfer information from one language into another.
© 2021 American Translators Association 28ATA & ILR: Alignment challenges
In seeking greater alignment with ILR standards, ATA’s Certification
Program sees several challenges:
• ATA assesses the translation; ILR assesses the translator.
• ATA isn’t as concerned with non-linguistic factors: time, subject-
matter knowledge, access to resources.
• ATA measures performance at a static point, ILR considers a full
range of performance levels.
© 2021 American Translators Association 29Questions?
Visit www.atanet.org
Caron Bailey, Certification Program Manager
certification@atanet.org
David Stephenson
david@stephensontranslations.com
© 2021 American Translators Association 30You can also read
