| User | Thread poster: Juan Chen Puzzled! How can the ATA membership application process be so easy? |
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Juan Chen 
China
 Partial member
English to Chinese
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"ATA APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP - Checkout
Name : Juan Chen
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Membership Total : $145.00
Individual - Regular $145.00
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Grand Total : $145.00
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Please charge my: MasterCard Discover American Express VISA
Card Number:
Expiration Date: /
Name:
"
I even have not submitted evidences of my past years' translation and interpreting experiences 
Can anybody become a member simply by paying the member fee? If yes, terrible.
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Albert Golub
France
 Member (2004)
English to French
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Thank you for your interest in the American Translators Association. ATA Membership is open to anyone with an interest in translation and interpreting as a profession or as a scholarly pursuit. All individual applicants are first accepted as Associate or Student members "before gaining eligibility" for Active or Corresponding membership.
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Steven Capsuto
United States
Member (2004)
French to English
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| | What's the confusion? | Apr 9 |
The ATA is a trade association, not a College of Translators. Anyone with an interest in the translation profession may join.
Now, if you want to be certified by the ATA, that's a different matter. You'd have to pass a three-hour exam (which has a rather high failure rate) and then do continuing education to remain certified.
But membership is open to anyone who pays the fee.
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Juan Chen
China
Partial member
English to Chinese
+ ...
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Well, I see. I want to be certified.
Many thx
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GoodWords
Mexico
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
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MODERATOR | | How to become ATA certified | Apr 9 |
The information about how to become ATA certified can be found here and here.
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Helen Li
Singapore
Member (Feb 2008)
English to Chinese
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If you want to be a ATA certified translator, you need take the exams organized by ATA.
If you are from Asia, you may wish to take note that, ATA does not have test sites in Asia at this point of time. As such, you will have to take these exams in U.S. and also attend their continuing education after you pass the exams.
[Edited at 2008-04-09 15:59]
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Juan Chen
China
Partial member
English to Chinese
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| | Can such exam be taken online? | Apr 9 |
I remeber ATA can offer online exam opportunity, right?
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Helen Li
Singapore
Member (Feb 2008)
English to Chinese
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I am not aware of online exams organized by ATA. In fact, I wrote to ATA a month ago to ask them whether there is any way for translators located in Asia to take ATA exams in Asia for the purpose of being a ATA certified translator. Their answer was no, and advised that the test takers have to fly to U.S..
Before you decide spending time and money flying to U.S. for the exams, you may wish to read more information about ATA's requirement on "continuing eduation", which will also require you fly to U.S. to attend.
Hope it helps. You can also write to ATA and seek clarification on these issues.
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Juan Chen
China
Partial member
English to Chinese
+ ...
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You are nice and kind.
So, I will forget the application and save some money 
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Helen Li
Singapore
Member (Feb 2008)
English to Chinese
+ ...
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you are most welcome
For translators from China, if you wish to be certified by a foreign translation association/organization, maybe you can consider being certified by NAATI (National Accureditation Authority for Translators & Interpreters). This is a goverment authority in Australia to conduct the accreditation exams for translators & interpreters.
In NAATI's website (www.naati.com.au), you will find that they actually conduct "test on demand", which means you can request a test to be held at the location outside Australia. I know these tests can be held in Singapore, but I am not very sure about whether it can be held in the mainland of China. You may wish to go to their website, and check out the list of the locations avaliable. Good luck!
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Luisa Ramos
United States
Member (2004)
English to Spanish
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| | Is it not easier to read the ATA site? | Apr 9 |
All the information you wonder about is in the ATA site.
ATA does not offer online tests; how could they know you did not have another person sitting in front of the computer?
The most recent development in matters of tests is they are working on an electronic version of the test, so it does not have to be done by hand. I doubt that the electronic test will allow much more than that convenience. Certainly, no online testing from remote locations.
There is a test calendar posted informing the dates and places members can select as more convenient for them. Consulting the calendar makes you aware of the places where the test is held, certainly not China, not yet.
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Vito Smolej
Germany
Member (2004)
English to Slovenian
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| | All the information you wonder about is in the ATA site. - which information? | Apr 10 |
The occasion reminded of that (wooden, German but still antological) skit in Casablanca (mutatis mutandis)
which much?
145 much.
Such much!
[Edited at 2008-04-10 10:28]
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juvera
United Kingdom
Member (2005)
English to Hungarian
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Vito Smolej wrote:
... skit in Casablanca (mutatis mutandis)
which much?
145 much.
Such much!
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Good old Michael Curtiz - every Hungarian kid of HIS generation learning English new this little joke. He just had to put it into the film.
(And a few other ones - recognisable only to those in the know - into his other films.)
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The translation workplace 
