Certified Translators - Buyers Guide

Certified Translators Introduction

Certified translators are the people to call upon when you need to get a document translated without any mistakes or misinterpretation of the meaning. Although you can find translators nearly anywhere, knowing whether they are any good can be a hit-or-miss affair – especially if they are unable to provide you with any kind of work samples.

Finding a good certified translator used to be rather difficult with each state or province having their own set of standards and associations to which a translator could belong. There were no universal standards and translators did not necessarily need to have a degree in translation in order to be recognised. All that is slowly changing and today it is easier for businesses and individuals looking for a good translator to find someone to suit their needs.

The International Association of Translators and Interpreters (IATI) is a newer organization that has recently been created in order to establish global guidelines for translators and interpreters. The IATI is actively seeking members who must first provide proof of their credentials and their translating abilities before they are certified by the association and awarded membership. The organization wants to create tangible standards for the translating community so that when businesses turn to them for a translator they will be able to refer competent people who will definitely be able to get the job done.

Right now the only certified translators around are those who have university degrees in translation and who belong to a local translator’s association. However, as mentioned above the discrepancies between membership standards are so varying that it is hard for businesses to know whether a translator is providing a high-quality service. However, with the IATI, businesses know that each of the certified translators holds the language skills, talent, education, experience and tools needed to produce a superbly translated text.

Trusting your important document translations to someone who has neither the background nor the skills to properly translate it is a waste of both your time and money. Instead of opening a directory and taking a chance on any of the translators listed therein, when conducting a search for translators, you should only deal with people who are certified.

If you are unable to find translators certified by IATI, then you should at least ascertain that the person in question holds a translation certification from any one of the number of translators associations found worldwide. Your best bet would be to find a translator who is experienced in translating similar texts to what you need done. For instance, if your text is a legal contract, then hiring a legal translator or someone who is experienced in translating legal contracts would be the ideal match for your needs.

Certified translators are more in demand than ever before given the fact that business has become a global affair. With globalization, companies are doing business in all of the far flung corners of the world, which means that they need to either have people who are fluent in a number of languages or they have to resort to the services of competent translators.

Read further to find out more about certified translators, how to choose a good one, a checklist of considerations as well as a glossary of commonly used translation terms. We have additionally included a couple of articles that might be of interest to you in your quest for a certified translator.

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The form was easy to fill out and took only a few minutes. It was easy for me to find the service I needed, and I quickly heard from a couple of helpful companies.

Angelica, Buyer
Milan, Italy