Certification by ATA

by S. J. H.
(NYC)

S.J.H. commented: Is certification by the ATA worth it? Absolutely not. Complete garbage. Look at it economically, for example return on investment. Even if you ARE certified, a) NO ONE CARES; and b) it costs thousands of dollars to maintain a certification that is worthless in the market.

The median salary for translators is about $60,000. Last year I made $275,000. This year I am aiming at $350,000.

I gave up my membership when they tried to force me to sit through costly "continuing education" seminars taught by the incestuous bunch of incompetent idiots who run the organization. STAY AWAY!



The Spanish Translator: Thanks for your comments and first hand accounts. As I've said before, I am not a member of ATA but I have talked to people both inside and outside the organization, and I those continuing education credits you mentioned seem like a bit of a joke to me as well. I can understand their purpose or the goal behind having them, but a lot of the activities seem contrived and less than helpful to real translators out in the field.

Thanks again for your thoughts.