American Translators Association

The American Translators Association (ATA) was founded in 1959 and is now the largest professional association of translators and interpreters in the United States with nearly 10,000 members in more than 100 countries.[2]

American Translators Association
AbbreviationATA
Formation1959
Legal statusAssociation
HeadquartersAlexandria, Virginia, United States
Region served
International
Membership
translators, interpreters, educators, educational institutions, language services companies
President of the Board of Directors
Ted R. Wozniak[1]
AffiliationsInternational Federation of Translators
WebsiteATA
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Membership is open to anyone with an interest in translation and interpreting as a profession or as a scholarly pursuit.[3] Members include translators, interpreters, educators, project managers, web and software developers, language services companies, hospitals, universities, and government agencies.

ATA offers certification examinations for its members in some language combinations[4] and is affiliated with the International Federation of Translators (FIT). The association is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia.

Unlike a trade union, the ATA represents both "labor" and "management"—that is, both the independent contractors who produce translation and interpreting services and the agencies who purchase them. The ATA likewise does not provide union-type benefits, such as collective bargaining or health insurance, to its freelance members.[3]

Professional development

ATA's primary goals are to foster and support the professional development of translators and interpreters and to promote the translation and interpreting professions.[5] The Association offers a variety of programs and services in support of these goals, including webinars and one-day workshops throughout the year and an ATA Annual Conference every fall—all of which feature translation and interpreting education in diverse specialties and languages.

Certification

The ATA currently offers certification exams in the following language pairs:[6]

Into English from Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Ukrainian.

From English into Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Ukrainian.

After passing the ATA certification examination, translators are required to complete a certain number of "continuing education" points in order to retain their certification.[7]

Advocacy

ATA is a member of the Joint National Committee for Languages, a nonprofit education policy association that works to raise grassroots awareness of the importance of languages to national security, economic growth, and social justice. ATA has also advocated for translators and interpreters on specific issues affecting the translation and interpreting professions. See ATA Statement Opposing Discontinuing Immigration Interpreting Services, ATA Opposes Lower Interpreter Exam Scores in Texas, and ATA Position Statement Regarding California Assembly Bill 5 and Request for Exemption.

International Translation Day

Since 2018, ATA has celebrated International Translation Day (September 30) by publishing a series of social media posts intended to educate the public about the role of professional translators and interpreters. ATA's 2018 ITD celebration centered on six infographics highlighting "need to know" facts about translation and interpreting services. On September 30, the Association will release a "Day in the Life of a Translator or Interpreter," a short animated video showing how translators and interpreters help power the global economy.

Governance

ATA is governed by its Bylaws,[3] and has a President, a President-Elect, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and a nine-member Board of Directors. An Executive Director is in charge of operations.

Current officers[8]
  • Ted R. Wozniak, President
  • Madalena Sánchez Zampaulo, President-Elect
  • Karen M. Tkaczyk, Secretary
  • John M. Milan, Treasurer

Past presidents

Publications
  • The ATA Chronicle is a monthly publication available 'online' and in hard-copy format. The publication includes articles on various translation- and interpreting-related issues combined with regular features.
  • ATA Newsbriefs is an e-newsletter distributed to members twice a month. The publication features national and international news about translation and interpreting.
  • ATA Translation and Interpreting Compensation Survey is an industry-wide survey providing a comprehensive picture of the market for T&I services. The full report is free to ATA members. An Executive Summary is available at no cost to non-members.
  • The ATA Compass is a free e-publication for buyers of translation and interpreting services.
  • Translation: Getting it Right
  • Interpreting: Getting it Right
  • ATA Scholarly Monograph Series—Published annually by John Benjamins.

Structure

ATA divisions provide members with common interests a way to network and receive career updates. The divisions offer newsletters, online forums, seminars, conference presentations, and networking sessions. ATA offers 22 special interest groups or divisions , based on language or subject-area specialty. Any member of the ATA can belong to any division(s).

ATA chapters

ATA chapters and affiliates provide regional information, marketing, networking, and support services to local translators and interpreters.

Affiliated groups

Honors, awards and scholarships

The American Translators Association presents a number of awards and scholarships to members of the translation and interpreting professions. These include:

  • Alexander Gode Medal—for outstanding service to the profession
  • Ungar German Translation Award—for literary translation from German to English
  • Lewis Galantière Award—for literary translation from a language other than German to English
  • Student Translation Award—for a literary, scientific or technical translation by a graduate or undergraduate student, or a group of students
  • S. Edmund Berger Prize—for Excellence in Scientific and Technical Translation
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See also

References
  1. "ATA Governance Board". ATA. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  2. http://atanet.org/aboutus/history.php ATA History
  3. http://atanet.org/docs/p_bylaws.pdf ATA Bylaws
  4. http://atanet.org/certification/aboutcert_overview.php ATA Certification program
  5. http://atanet.org/aboutus/mission_statement.php ATA Mission Statement
  6. http://atanet.org/certification/aboutcert_overview.php ATA Certification program overview
  7. http://www.atanet.org/certification/aboutcont_overview.php ATA Continuing Education program overview
  8. https://www.atanet.org/governance/governance_board.php ATA Board of Directors
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