In an age of ever-advancing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine translation (MT), coupled with ever-increasing downward pressure on translators’ pay rates, it’s only natural to wonder whether ATA certification is a worthwhile pursuit. Many a translator may question the value of the credential when AI and MT are taking away jobs and some clients and agencies are prioritizing savings over quality.
In fact, the rise of AI and MT is not a reason to dismiss ATA certification, but to pursue it. All else being equal, a translator who is ATA-certified enjoys many benefits compared to one who is not. The threats posed by technological advancement are all the more reason for translators to distinguish themselves as much as possible and gain an edge over at least the human competition. And while financial considerations are not insignificant, there continue to be consumers who value quality even if it comes at a higher price. Featuring the voices of a number of ATA-certified translators1, this column will provide an overview of the benefits of ATA certification and hopefully quell some of the uncertainty around its value.
While AI and MT have triggered an overall decrease in the demand for them, human translators are still sought after for various types of translation jobs, especially when precision and confidentiality are paramount. For example, Larry Bogoslaw, CT (Russian into English and Spanish into English) shares that in his experience, “many clients have sensitive and nuanced material for which they rely on human translators.”
With that in mind, marketing is at least as important as ever, if not more so, in the translation world of 2025. ATA certification is a well-recognized and prestigious credential attesting to a translator’s skill, so it increases credibility and means the translator does not have to work as hard to market themselves. Liz Herron-Sweet, CT (Portuguese into English) says, “In general, I’ve found that ATA certification has made me a much more attractive candidate to agencies.” Indeed, in initial conversations with clients or agencies, the mention of ATA certification often means that no further questions are needed: the ATA certification says it all.
Furthermore, in many cases, the entity seeking a translation or proofreading service requires an ATA-certified translator. This significantly limits competition, especially for language pairs boasting only a select few translators with the credential. Manako Ihaya, CT (Japanese into English) says, “Clients often have to come to me after having hired and paid a non-certified translator to translate documents that were required to be translated by an ATA-certified translator in that language direction.”
Financially, ATA-certified translators can often charge more for their services than competitors without the credential. Nick Boline, CT (Spanish into English) goes so far as to say that in his language pair, “having an ATA certification is pretty much the only way to find work that pays a rate that makes sense if you live in the Global North.” Herron-Sweet and Rony Gao, CT (Chinese into English and English into Chinese) also observe that their ATA certification has allowed them to charge higher rates for their services.
Better yet, ATA certification is a boon even when it’s not strictly required. Eugenia Tietz-Sokolskaya, CT (Russian into English) shares that a client seeking translation services for an asylum application told her directly that they chose to contact her because of her ATA certification, even though it was not specifically required. Similarly, Kornelia DeKorne, CT (English into Hungarian and Hungarian into English) reports that she has been contacted by clients who “are just simply looking for assurance of good quality and see ATA certification as its guarantor.”
This means that another benefit of ATA certification is that the translator doesn’t have to do as much work to get jobs. All else being equal, an ATA-certified translator is much more likely to be contacted by a client or agency than a translator who is not ATA-certified. Tietz-Sokolskaya describes this as the biggest change she noticed after earning her certification in 2016. Just two months later, she was contacted by that asylum seeker; this was the first time she had been noticed in ATA’s Language Services Directory even though she had been listed for several years. She reports that “these days people still cold-contact me regularly, and about a third to half of my income is from translating for individuals like that.”
Other certified translators have had similar experiences: “Having my ATA certification just generally increased the frequency with which I receive offers for work from various online directories. A number of agencies that didn’t even respond to my emails before I was certified now have me onboarded” (Boline); “I am often contacted by clients who have searched for translators using the ATA directory’s ‘Show Only Members ATA-Certified in This Language Pair’ feature” (Gao); “I am the only ATA-certified translator in my combination on the roster of a small translation agency, so they send all their requests for this combination to me” (Herron-Sweet); “Once clients requiring an ATA-certified translator find me, I’m on their speed dial for any other similar assignments moving forward” (Ihaya).
And there’s more. In describing the jobs she receives from that small translation agency, Herron-Sweet says, “I can set my own deadlines and turnaround time for these jobs, and I always give myself plenty of time, so I find it to be less stressful than other types of translation work.” DeKorne finds that beyond the tangible benefits, her status as an ATA-certified translator gives her a measure of confidence: “Having been put through my paces by distinguished peers and judged to be one of those who use language with care, I feel the subtle support of that attitude. This comes in handy when editing, or having to defend choices by providing convincing reasoning based on the value of good communication and respect for both the source and the target language. Confidence buoyed by certification makes these things easier.”
From confidence boosts to more successful marketing, less competition, and a greater flow of job offers to higher rates and more generous turnaround times, ATA certification offers an array of benefits that make it well worth the pursuit. ATA-certified or not, all translators have to contend with the threats of AI, MT, and lower rates. ATA certification will go a long way toward helping you weather the storm.
English into Arabic Certification Exam Needs Graders!
Currently, ATA’s English into Arabic certification exam is suspended as we seek new graders to support this language pair. Our certification program thrives thanks to the dedication of member volunteers, and we’re looking for qualified professionals to help ensure its continued success. While the English into Arabic exam is temporarily unavailable, practice tests remain available for those preparing to take the exam when it is offered again in the future.
If you’re ATA-certified in English into Arabic and interested in becoming a grader to help reinstate this language pair, we’d love to hear from you! Please email certification@atanet.org with a copy of your CV.
Note
- Upon first mention, each name will be followed by CT (for “certified translator”) and the language pair(s) of certification in parentheses.
About the Author
Elias Shakkour is a grader for ATA’s English>Arabic and Arabic>English certification exams, the language chair for the English>Arabic exam, and co-deputy chair of ATA’s Certification Committee. e.shakkour@depaul.edu