The American Translators Association (ATA) is the largest

professional association A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that profession, and t ...

translators Translation is the communication of the Meaning (linguistic), meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The ...

and

interpreters Interpreting is a translational activity in which one produces a first and final target-language output on the basis of a one-time exposure to an expression in a source language. The most common two modes of interpreting are simultaneous interp ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

with nearly 8,500 members in more than 100 countries. Founded in 1959, membership is open to anyone with an interest in translation and interpreting as a profession or as a scholarly pursuit.http://atanet.org/docs/p_bylaws.pdf ATA Bylaws Members include translators, interpreters, educators, project managers, web and software developers, language services companies, hospitals, universities, and government agencies. ATA offers certification examinations for its members in some language combinations and is affiliated with the

International Federation of Translators The Fédération Internationale des Traducteurs ( English: International Federation of Translators) is an international grouping of associations of translators, interpreters and terminologists. More than 100 professional associations are affilia ...

(FIT). The association is headquartered in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandr ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

. Unlike a trade union, the ATA represents both "labor" and "management"—that is, both the independent contractors who produce translation and interpreting services and the agencies who purchase them. The ATA likewise does not provide union-type benefits, such as collective bargaining or health insurance, to its freelance members.

Professional development

ATA's primary goals are to foster and support the professional development of translators and interpreters and to promote the translation and interpreting professions. The Association offers a variety of programs and services in support of these goals, includin
webinars
an
one-day workshops
throughout the year and a
ATA Annual Conference
every fall—all of which feature translation and interpreting education in diverse specialties and languages.

Certification

The ATA currently offers certification exams in the following

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...

pairs: Into English from

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of v ...

Croatian Croatian may refer to: * Croatia *Croatian language *Croatian people *Croatians (demonym) See also * * * Croatan (disambiguation) * Croatia (disambiguation) * Croatoan (disambiguation) * Hrvatski (disambiguation) * Hrvatsko (disambiguation) * S ...

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Port ...

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: ** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used b ...

, and

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * Som ...

. From English into

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

, Hungarian,

, Romanian,

, and

. After passing the ATA certification examination, translators are required to complete a certain number of "continuing education" points in order to retain their certification.

Advocacy

ATA is a member of the Joint National Committee for Languages, a nonprofit education policy association that works to raise grassroots awareness of the importance of languages to national security, economic growth, and social justice. ATA has also advocated for translators and interpreters on specific issues affecting the translation and interpreting professions. Se
ATA Statement Opposing Discontinuing Immigration Interpreting ServicesATA Opposes Lower Interpreter Exam Scores in Texas
and
ATA Position Statement Regarding California Assembly Bill 5 and Request for Exemption

International Translation Day

Since 2018, ATA has celebrated International Translation Day (September 30) by publishing a series of social media posts intended to educate the public about the role of professional translators and interpreters
ATA's 2018 ITD celebration
centered on six infographics highlighting "need to know" facts about translation and interpreting services. On September 30, the Association will release
"Day in the Life of a Translator or Interpreter,"
a short animated video showing how translators and interpreters help power the global economy.

Governance

ATA is governed by its Bylaws, and has a President, a President-Elect, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and a nine-member Board of Directors. An Executive Director is in charge of operations.

Current officers

* Madalena Sánchez Zampaulo, President * Veronika Demichelis, President-Elect * Alaina Brandt, Secretary * John M. Milan, Treasurer

Past presidents

* 1960–1963

Alexander Gode Alexander Gottfried Friedrich Gode-von Aesch (October 30, 1906 – August 10, 1970) was a German-born American linguist, translator and the driving force behind the creation of the auxiliary language Interlingua. Biography Born to a German fat ...

* 1963–1965

Kurt Gingold Kurt Gingold (1929–1997) was an Austrian-American scientific translator, and a charter member and second president of the American Translators Association. Life and career Kurt Gingold was born in Austria in 1929. He studied at Tulane University ...

* 1965–1967 Henry Fischbach * 1967–1969 Boris Anzlowar * 1969–1970 Daniel Peter Moynihan (Resigned in June 1970) * 1970–1971

William I. Bertsche William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conq ...

(Completed Moynihan's term) * 1971–1973 Thomas Wilds * 1973–1975 William I. Bertsche * 1975–1977 Roy Tinsley * 1977–1979 Josephine Thornton * 1979–1981 Thomas R. Bauman * 1981–1983 Benjamin Teague * 1983–1985 Virginia Eva Berry * 1985–1987 Patricia E. Newman * 1987–1989 Karl Kummer * 1989–1991 Deanna L. Hammond * 1991–1993 Leslie Wilson * 1993–1995 Edith F. Losa * 1995–1997 Peter W. Krawutschke * 1997–1999 Muriel M. Jérôme-O'Keeffe * 1999–2001 Ann G. Macfarlane * 2001–2003 Thomas L. West III * 2003–2005 Scott Brennan * 2005–2007 Marian S. Greenfield * 2007–2009 Jiri Stejskal * 2009–2011 Nicholas Hartmann * 2011–2013 Dorothee Racette * 2013–2015 Caitilin Walsh * 2015–2017 David Rumsey * 2017–2019 Corinne L. McKay

Publications

''The ATA Chronicle''
is a monthly publication availabl
'online'
and in hard-copy format. The publication includes articles on various translation- and interpreting-related issues combined with regular features.
''ATA Newsbriefs''
is an e-newsletter distributed to members twice a month. The publication features national and international news about translation and interpreting.
''ATA Translation and Interpreting Compensation Survey''
is an industry-wide survey providing a comprehensive picture of the market for T&I services. The full report is free to ATA members. An Executive Summary is available at no cost to non-members.
''The ATA Compass''
is a free e-publication for buyers of translation and interpreting services.
''Translation: Getting it Right''

''Interpreting: Getting it Right''
* ''ATA Scholarly Monograph Series''—Published annually by

John Benjamins John Benjamins Publishing Company is an independent academic publisher in social sciences and humanities with its head office in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The company was founded in the 1960s by John and Claire Benjamins and is currently managed ...

Structure

ATA divisions provide members with common interests a way to network and receive career updates. The divisions offer newsletters, online forums, seminars, conference presentations, and networking sessions. ATA offers 22 special interest groups or divisions, based on language or subject-area specialty. Any member of the ATA can belong to any division(s). * Arabic Language Division
Audiovisual Division
* Chinese Language Division
Dutch Language Division

Educators Division

French Language Division

German Language Division

Government Division

Interpreters Division

Italian Language Division

Japanese Language Division

Korean Language Division

Language Technology Division

Law Division

Literary Division

Medical Division

Nordic Division

Portuguese Language Division

Science and Technology Division

Slavic Languages Division

Spanish Language Division

Translation Company Division

ATA chapters

ATA chapters and affiliates provide regional information, marketing, networking, and support services to local translators and interpreters.
Association of Translators and Interpreters of Florida (ATIF)

Atlanta Association of Interpreters and Translators (AAIT)

Carolina Association of Interpreters and Translators (CATI)

Colorado Translators Association (CTA)

Delaware Valley Translators Association (DVTA)

Michigan Translators/Interpreters Network (MiTiN)

Mid-America Chapter of ATA (MICATA)

Midwest Association of Translators and Interpreters (MATI)

National Capital Area Chapter of the ATA (NCATA)

New York Circle of Translators (NYCT)

Northeast Ohio Translators Association (NOTA)

Northern California Translators Association (NCTA)

Northwest Translators and Interpreters Society (NOTIS)

Upper Midwest Translators and Interpreters Association (UMTIA)

Affiliated groups

Association of Translators and Interpreters in the San Diego Area (ATISDA)

Austin Area Translators and Interpreters Association (AATIA)

El Paso Interpreters and Translators Association (EPITA)

Houston Interpreters and Translators Association (HITA)

Iowa Interpreters and Translators Association (IITA)

Nebraska Association of Translators and Interpreters (NATI)

Nevada Interpreters and Translators Association (NITA)

New Mexico Translators and Interpreters Association (NMTIA)

Oregon Society of Translators and Interpreters (OSTI)

Tennessee Association of Professional Interpreters and Translators (TAPIT)

Utah Translators and Interpreters Association (UTIA)

References

External links

American Translators Association (ATA)

ATA Chronicle Online
{{Authority control Professional associations based in the United States Translation associations of the United States Organizations based in Alexandria, Virginia 1959 establishments in the United States Organizations established in 1959