Translator Requirements

Translation Examinations will be provided for English/French into another language (non-native), and for another language into English/French. If you are writing the Translation Exam, you will need a degree in translation plus one year of experience (Option A) OR 4 years of translation experience (Option B). Years of experience are equivalent to the number of words translated:

  • Official Languages (EN-FR / FR-EN)  – 1 year of experience = 100,000 words
  • Other Languages – 1 year of experience = 30,000 words

Note: You can acquire the necessary word count in less than four years. You must submit evidence for a total of 120,000 words for non-official languages and 400,000 words for official languages under Option B.

Option A: Degree Plus Experience

To be eligible to write the Certification Examination, the candidate will provide the following documentation:
  • Translated copy of degree and transcripts (translation must be done by a certified translator). To be considered a translation degree as contemplated by the guidelines, a minimum 50% of the credits must be in language transfer, i.e. translation must be the main subject of the course.
  • Description of post-secondary coursework completed by the International Qualifications Assessment There is a fee for this assessment and it is the responsibility of the candidate to cover that cost.
  • An Excel file containing the required word count. This requirement can be achieved from various sources: translation work, mentorship or volunteer work. Only 50% of the submitted word count can be from either volunteer or mentored work. Translation work must also cover a variety of texts (i.e. not be limited to one type of text such as birth certificates). Translations done as part of the coursework for a degree or for a thesis are not acceptable. Translation work completed five years prior to becoming an ATIA Associate member is allowed to be submitted as part of the required word count. Random verification of translation work will be done.
Note: If the person has a degree in translation, they only require one additional year of experience (30,000 words)

Option B: Experience Only

To be eligible to apply for the Certification Examination the candidate will provide the following documentation:
  • Excel file containing required word count. This requirement can be achieved from various sources: translation work, mentorship, or volunteer work. Only 50% of the submitted word count can be from either volunteer or mentored work. Translation work must also cover a variety of texts (i.e. not be limited to one type of text such as birth certificates). Translation work completed 5 years prior to becoming an ATIA Associate member is allowed to be submitted as part of the required word count. Random verification of translation work will be done.
Only those persons, who have passed the Associate-level examination in a given language combination and who have completed required word counts are eligible to register for the exam in that combination.