You are roaming around checking out the meaning of certified translators, and it’s a bit confusing. You are clear on what a certified translation is but you are still murky on what it means to be a certified translator and an accredited translation agency. Well, let us help you get the gist of things so that you will be able to make an informed decision about your translation aims. The first introduction we will make is of the ATA:
ATA- American Translators’ Association: American Translators’ Association is a translation certification institute that provides the evaluation of all the translators from the United States. The institute has tests for every language, and a fee is imposed. You are also expected to renew your certification and keep up to date regularly. You are not expected to have any unique qualifications to take the exam; anyone is allowed to attempt. But the review is harsh, and you are supposed to uphold specific ways and manners of translation that you must train in, beforehand.
To make things clear, a translator doesn’t have to be certified by the ATA in order to translate your immigration documents, but the ATA certification is an indication of seriousness and accuracy.
Certified Translator: Certified translator is a person who registered with the American Translators Association as a private individual. The exam costs around two hundred dollars and is pretty tough when you take it on the individual basis. The person is going to have a hard time clearing the exam without serious translation training and experience. But, it is worth having this certification because certified translators are very well respected in the system.
Who needs them? If you have an essential document that requires the exceptional focus on credibility and reliability, then you should get a certified translator for the job. Such translators are high priced and charge considerable rates per word, but when they place their membership credentials on the certificate of authenticity; the document becomes above reproach, and your translation will not be questioned at any office. That is why; if you need the translation to clear a rigorous and high-expectations evaluation, you should hire a certified translator.
Certified Translation Agencies: A certified translation agency is a translation agency that has been approved by the American Translators Association. The association will review the agency before they confirm the agency’s membership. The agency will also need to continue to uphold all of the laid out plans and criteria. They receive a membership number that they provide to all their clients and is also readily available on their website. In case you need immigration translation services, it is best to use a certified translation services as it will provide guaranteed translations at a lower price than you’d need to pay a freelance translator that is also certified.
Who should hire them? It is a pretty good litmus test for quality and credibility when a translation agency is ATA certified. While ATA certified translators are expensive commodities; ATA accredited translation agency becomes economical and trustworthy. It is easy to maintain an ATA certification by a translation agency regarding fees expenses, but it is hard to maintain that quality of translation when you get numerous translation assignments in the day. The agency will have to keep strict standards and practices culture to uphold that kind of quality. They are also pretty economical and should be used for any translation that you are submitting for official evaluation.
We hope that our comparisons helped you understand the system better.
