Translators
National Associations
American Translators Association (ATA) - The largest professional association of translators and interpreters in the U.S. ATA's mission is to promote the recognition of professional translators and interpreters, to facilitate communication among its members, to establish standards of competence and ethics, to provide its members with professional development opportunities, and to advocate on behalf of the profession.
National Association of Judiciary Interpreters & Translators (NAJIT) - Promotes the highest professional standards in the field of legal interpreting and translating. NAJIT provides continuing education for professionals to grow their knowledge, refine their skills, and stay updated on innovations within the profession.
TranslatOR Certification
The most widely recognized certification for translators in the U.S. is through the American Translators Association (ATA). Translators must pass a proctored certification exam and, once certified, must maintain their credential with ongoing continuing education.
Arizona Translators & Interpreters hosts an ATA certification exam sitting in Phoenix every 2-3 years. Additionally, our annual conference provides an opportunity to earn ATA continuing education points.
Click here for more information on ATA certification, including a list of the language combinations for which ATA certification is currently available.
certificates & degrees
Formal training in translation studies is available from several institutions throughout the country, offering in-person and/or online instruction.
- Arizona State University offers an in-person Certificate in Spanish/English Translation.
- Florida International University offers an online Certificate in Translation & Interpretation for English<>Spanish for FIU degree-seeking students.
- Middlebury Institute of International Studies offers in-person Master of Arts degrees in Translation, Translation and Interpretation, and Conference Interpretation, as well as an in-person Master of Arts degree and online Master of Arts degree in Translation and Localization Management.
- New York University offers an online Certificate in Translation Practice for into-English translators and a non-language-specific online Master of Science in Translation & Interpreting.
- Pima Community College offers a Certificate in Translation & Interpretation Studies for the English<>Spanish language combination.
- University of Arizona offers an online Certificate in Spanish/English Translation.
- University of California San Diego Extension offers an online Certificate in Translation (Spanish/English) and an online Certificate in Translation and Interpretation (Spanish/English).
Other Resources
Translators can find more information about the profession at the following sites:
- Training for Translators - Short online courses for translators and interpreters in various topics, master classes, and challenge groups.
- ProZ.com - Serving the world's largest community of translators and language professionals, ProZ.com offers job opportunities, terminology searches, translation tool group buys, and training in the field of translation.
- TranslatorsCafe - Online membership portal for translators, including job postings, news, and other resources.
- Payment Practices - The oldest and most extensive dataset related to the payment practices of translation agencies and other consumers of translation services.
- Gengo - Lessons for beginner translators.
- Slator - The latest news in the field of language services.
- Guide to Starting Out as a Translator - A step-by-step e-book issued by the American Translators Association to help you build your translation career.
