What is a translator? The T&I Descriptions endorsed by 11 professional associations answer this question.

In the Pacific Northwest, and specifically in Washington State, two translation certification programs are relevant.

The American Translators Association is a professional association that certifies members who are translators.

The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services has a Language Testing and Certification Unit that has been certifying translators since 1996. This certification program is regulated by WAC 388-03.

These certifications meet the requirements of the Federal government on this page.

The following table compares these programs.

ATA and WA DSHS Translation certifications

	ATA	WA DSHS
Pass rate	Under 20% for most language pairs, higher for others. See ATA Certification Pass Rates 2003-2013, 2004-2014, and Statistical Trends for details.	36%
Texts to translate	Choose two texts out of three general texts.	Choose three texts out of four technical texts in the areas of social, legal, and medical services.
Length of text	250 to 300	200 each
Total source word count	500 to 600	600
Time alloted	3 hours	2 hours
References	May bring paper dictionaries. Limited access to Internet resources. Dictionaries may not be shared with other test takers.	May bring paper dictionaries. Dictionaries may be shared with other test takers.
Where	Proctored at ATA conference and by chapters and affiliates.	Administered by Washington State government (Department of Social and Health Services), in Washington State.
Language pairs	English into 15 languages. 14 languages into English.	English into Cambodian, Chinese, Korean, Laotian, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese.
Prerequisites	ATA membership @$190/yr	18 years old High school diploma
Cost	$525. See A Guide to the ATA Certification Program	$50
Accreditation requirements	1 hour of ethics during the first year of certification	Free Translator Orientation Webinar 2:13 hrs Free Ethics Webinar 2:50 hrs
Renewal	20 CE credits over 3 years ATA membership @$190/yr.	Free, 20 DSHS/LTC approved continuing education credits every 4 years of which 1 of approved ethics per calendar year.
Registration link	Certification Exam Overview	Schedule a Test
Examination guidelines	Error categories	Professional Language Certification Examination Manual
Find a translator	ATA Online Directories	Find Fully or Provisionally Certified/Authorized Interpreters and Translators

The information in this table was verified as of November 30, 2016 based on conversations with representatives of both organizations and web searches on pertinent sites. The information on both sites is subject to change without notice. See a comparison of translation pass rates published on October 16, 2017. 

When evaluating other certifications, the following information, which should be available without having to submit a name and email address, can be useful.

• Contact information for certified professionals
• Grading standards
• Pass rate for each language pair
• Standards for establishing the difficulty of the exam
• Sample exam, availability of graded practice test for a price.
• Who they are accountable to: Professional association, Institute of Credentialing Excellence accreditation process, public records request (for government certifications)
• Certification renewal requirements: Continuing education, fees
• Code of ethics, and the consequences for non-compliance
• Basis for evaluating the credibility of the organization and the exam. Both matter.