What is the purpose of the ATA certification examination?
The ATA certification examination tests for professional translation skills. It is designed to determine whether a candidate is able to produce a translation that is professionally usable within the framework provided by the Translation Instructions. The skills in question are defined by the positive answers to four broad questions: Does the translation demonstrate compliance with the specifications of the Translation Instructions? Yes, if: The translation is usable and intelligible in the specified context. Register, style, and wording match comparable documents written in the target language. Does the translation demonstrate understanding of the overall content, purpose, and argument of the examination passage? Yes, if: Attention to and understanding of the topic are used to help solve challenges and arrive at a correct rendering. Attention to and understanding of the topic help the candidate use dictionaries competently....