Frequently Asked Questions about CATI Frequently Asked Questions about Translation and Interpretation
What is CATI? Where can I find a professional translator or interpreter? If you don't wish to take the time to do that or can't find the right language, please call one of our corporate members (translation companies/agencies) and ask them for what you need, they will help you find someone for your project. Or look in the Yellow Pages under "Translators." If you will need translators/interpreters fairly frequently, you might wish to invest in CATI's Translation Services Directory for $12.00, plus sales tax. Please send a check made out to CATI with your purchase order. For state or federal agencies, please include an approved purchase order number and we will invoice you. Please note that all terms of business must be arranged directly with the individual or corporate member. Also please note that the information in the Directory is provided by the members themselves. Inclusion of a member does not constitute an endorsement, either by CATI or its directors and officers. CATI does not evaluate, control or guarantee its members' work. Does CATI have any publications I can subscribe to? CATI also publishes:
What activities does CATI provide for its members? Local groups meet in some metropolitan areas. Their activities include informative programs relevant to translating and interpreting, as well as social events. Networking is an important benefit of participation. It is possible to call another member in your region or language and get together on an informal basis. Workshops, seminars and annual conferences provide for professional development and contact with a wider circle of colleagues. ATA certification examinations, sponsored once each year, are one way for members to demonstrate their translation competence. Only ATA members may sit for these exams. Please see the website of the American Translators Association. Is CATI's membership year the same as the calendar year? Yes. The dues are for the current year, ending December 31. Dues are prorated for new individual and institutional members joining after July 1 but before November 1. New individual, institutional, and corporate members joining after November 1 pay for the coming full year and receive the remainder of the current year free of charge. For the complete dues schedule for new members, click here. If I am a member of the American Translators Association (ATA) am I then automatically a member of CATI, as its local chapter? No. ATA membership is separate from CATI membership. If you are a member of ATA you must join CATI separately.
Where can I get certified as a translator or interpreter? For interpreters, there is a U.S. (federal) certification for court interpreters in three languages (Spanish, Haitian-Creole, Navajo). There is a state court certification exam available through the National Center for State Court's Consortium (of which North Carolina is a member, but not South Carolina) in nine languages (Arabic, Cantonese, Haitian-Creole, Hmong, Korean, Laotian, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese), with others being added as tests are developed and graders trained. If you are interested in the state court certification exam in Spanish, please contact Stephanie S. Scarce, Coordinator for the NC Interpreter Certification Project, at the Administrative Office of the Courts in Raleigh, NC, at (919) 715-1672. If you need information on other language exams, please contact the National Center for State Courts, Dot Bryant, at (757) 259-1831. If you are interested in the Consortium program for Court Interpreters, which is part of the National Center for State Courts, please visit their website at: www.ncsconline.org/D_Research/CourtInterp.html. This will give you information on all the states that participate in the Consortium, of which NC is one. It will also give you certification exam dates in other states that have reciprocity with NC. No certification for medical interpreters exists at this time, either in the Carolinas or in the U.S.
If you are interested in the federal court interpreter's test, both the written and the oral, visit the following website: www.cps.ca.gov/fcice-spanish/fcann.asp. The National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators (NAJIT) has developed a "national interpretation examination." Check out their website: www.najit.org. Can anyone who is bilingual become a translator or interpreter? Yes, but... please see Looking Beyond Bilingualism. How do I get started as a translator or interpreter? Please see Looking Beyond Bilingualism. Or you can attend the Beginners/Newcomers short course offered by CATI at its Annual conference every year. Where can I study to become an interpreter or translator? There are several options:
What should I charge for my translation or interpretation work? Like in any business in a free market, what you charge is negotiated between you and your client. Just for your information, translations are usually charged by the number of words in the target language (occasionally in the source language); in Europe, translations are charged by the number of lines in the target language. Translations are almost never charged by the page. Interpretations are charged by the hour or by the day, if the job is for a whole day or is located out of town. Some of the things you want to consider in estimating your cost for a translation are:
When estimating your cost for an interpreting job, consider the following:
Be aware that in some states or cities, professional fees are higher than in others, depending on the market there; i.e., rural areas typically pay less than urban areas. If you are interpreting for the courts, the state or federal court usually has assigned amounts it will pay for interpreting and/or mileage and you will have to accept those or not do the job. Each time you accept an interpreting job be sure and ask who is to be invoiced and how quickly you can expect payment, so you don't get the nasty shock of finding that you have just "volunteered" because there is no budget to pay interpreters! Remember, this is a business! |
