Becoming an ATA Certified Translator

by Moisés Zamora
(Santa Ana, California)

Moisés wrote: No. I became a member because it's a requirement to take the certification exam. I'm a published novelist in Spanish, I graduated from an Ivy League School, and I've been translating professionally for 8 years now.

I took the certification exam and I didn’t pass. I was very confident about it: I had prepared extensively by taking multiple sample exams, because my main concerns were time management (3 hours for two passages) and getting used to writing the actual translation on paper (I always type, neat handwriting takes time and focus), not being able to translate the simple language in the exam was not a concern. However, to my surprise, I failed to meet the ATA’s standards. Although it was demoralizing at first, I realized that I was dealing with subjective graders and I couldn’t possibly know where I went wrong. Yes, there’s a process to appeal, but it takes a whole year, more money and another subjective grader. I researched further and I noticed that they seldom pass translators from Mexico or Central America. Most of the recent certified translators in my language category are from Argentina or another South-American country. Yes, the vocabulary differs and the style as well; so I realized I was dealing with regionalisms and the perpetuation of one area over others. After all, if more certified translators come from a specific area, they’re more likely to pass candidates from that area as well.

It’s a shame that the ATA doesn’t take diversity in language seriously: Spanish is spoken in many countries and what may sound wrong in one, it’s perfectly correct and acceptable in others.



The Spanish Translator: Thanks for your thoughts on ATA certification, Moisés. Not that it will make you feel any better, but I know that many translators share your frustration with the certification tests and grading that come out of that organization.

I'm glad that you decided to push on ahead with your career and not let it get you down that you didn't pass according to their standards. I tell everyone that certification does not make the translator and you'll have to prove to yourself that you are the translator you want to be by getting clients and building your translation business.

Thanks again for sharing.