Skip to content
FacebookTwitterLinkedinYoutubeInstagram
  • Join ATA
  • Renew
  • Contact Us
  • Log In
American Translators Association (ATA)
Find a Language Professional
  • Certification
    • Certification
      • Guide to ATA Certification
      • What is a Certified Translation?
      • How the Exam is Graded
      • Review and Appeal Process
      • Looking for More Information?
    • Taking the Exam
      • About the Exam
      • How to Prepare
      • Practice Test
      • Exam Schedule
    • Already Certified?
      • Put Your Credentials To Work
      • CT Designation and Seal
      • Continuing Education Requirement
    • Register Buttons
      • Exam Schedule
         
      • Order Practice Test
  • Career and Education
    • For Newcomers
      • Student Resources
      • Starting Your Career
      • The Savvy Newcomer Blog
    • For Professionals
      • Growing Your Career
      • Business Strategies
      • Next Level Blog
      • Client Outreach Kit
      • Mentoring
    • Resources
      • For Educators and Trainers
      • Tools and Technology
      • Publications
      • School Outreach
    • Event Buttons
      • Upcoming Webinars
  • Client Assistance
    • Client Resources
      • Why Should I Hire a Professional?
      • Translator vs. Interpreter
      • Getting It Right
    • More Client Resources
      • Need a Certified Translation?
      • What is Machine Translation?
      • The ATA Compass Blog
    • Find a Translator Button
      • Find a Language Professional
  • Events
    • Events
      • Annual Conference
      • Seminars and Workshops
      • Certification Exam Schedule
    • More Events
      • Virtual Events
      • Webinar Series
      • Calendar of Events
    • Event Buttons
      • Visit ATA64
      • Upcoming Webinars
         
  • News
    • Industry News
    • Advocacy and Outreach
    • Press Room
    • The ATA Chronicle
    • The ATA Podcast
    • ATA Newsbriefs
  • Member Center
    • Member Resources
      • Join ATA
      • Renew Your Membership
      • Benefits of Membership
      • Divisions
      • Chapters, Affiliates, and Other Groups
      • Get Involved
      • Shop the ATA Store
    • Already a Member?
      • Log Into Your Member Center
      • Connect with Members
      • Create Your Directory Listing
      • Become a Voting Member
      • Member Discounts
    • Member Buttons
      • Join ATA
         
      • Member Login
  • About Us
    • About ATA
      • Who We Are
      • Press Room
      • Honors and Awards Program
      • Advertise with Us
      • American Foundation for
        Translation and Interpretation
      • ATA Team
      • Contact Us
    • How ATA Works
      • Board of Directors
      • Committees
      • Policies & Procedures
      • Code of Ethics
    • Contact Button
      • Contact ATA
  • Join ATA
  • Renew Your Membership
  • Contact Us
  • Log In
  • Find a Language Professional
September 15, 2015

Exam Delivery Methods in 2015 and Beyond

Resources
By The ATA Chronicle

In recent years, ATA has offered a limited number of exam sittings with a keyboard interface (administered in group sittings with software running on the candidate’s own computer). This approach has not lived up to expectations, so early this year the Certification Committee and ATA Headquarters staff began looking at alternatives for moving past the handwritten era.

Most new options for administering the exam involve outsourcing: hiring one or more outside companies to deliver the exam to candidates, monitor Internet access, and send the completed exams to ATA Headquarters. Exam delivery is the only operation potentially being outsourced; passage selection and grading will continue to be done by qualified ATA graders.

Several priorities are at play in choosing a new exam delivery method, including security, reliability, exam integrity, convenience for candidates, administrative interface, and integration with other systems. Reducing our current reliance on volunteers is also important. Outsourcing inevitably involves reconciling our needs with the reality of the third-party vendor’s system, as well as significant time and effort spent learning the vendor’s interface.

These factors make it unlikely that a new exam delivery method will be available to candidates before 2016. However, the Certification Committee believes that carefully choosing an exam delivery method that comes the closest to meeting all of our needs is preferable to continuing with a flawed method or launching a new method before it’s ready. Therefore, after significant research to select several promising methods, we will soon be conducting internal testing to determine which are the most viable. It may seem like a step backward to offer no keyboarded exams in 2015, but in all likelihood 2016 will be the last year in which handwritten exams are offered—which is more than two steps forward.

The Certification Committee thanks you for your patience as we continue working toward our common goal of bringing ATA’s exam delivery process into the 21st century.


David Stephenson is the chair of ATA’s Certification Committee.

Share this

Posts navigation

← ATA 2015 Elections: Candidate Statements
The Sound of Silence →

Latest Posts

  • Linguist in the Spotlight – Madalena Sánchez Zampaulo March 21, 2023
  • Newsbriefs: March 15, 2023 March 15, 2023
  • Breaking Intercultural Communication Barriers in Business March 15, 2023
  • Get More Done as a Freelance Translator – How to Plan Your Work and Become More Productive March 15, 2023
  • Continuing Professional Development Reflection: From Translation Student to Freelance Translator March 14, 2023

Topics

  • Advocacy & Outreach
  • Annual Conference
  • Book Reviews
  • Business Strategies
  • Certification Exam
  • Certification Program
  • Client Assistance
  • Educators and Trainers
  • Growing Your Career
  • Industry News
  • Interpreting
  • Member Benefits
  • Member News
  • Mentoring
  • Networking
  • Public Outreach
  • Publications
  • Resources
  • School Outreach
  • Specializations
  • Starting Your Career
  • Student Resources
  • Tools and Technology
  • Translation
Language Services Directory
ata_logo_footer

American Translators Association
225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590
Alexandria, VA 22314

Phone +1-703-683-6100
Fax +1-703-683-6122

  • Certification
  • Career and Education
  • Client Assistance
  • Events
  • News
  • Member Center
  • About Us
  • Member Login
  • Contact Us
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Submit Feedback

© 2023 - American Translators Association

Website by Yoko Co

Find a Language Professional
Scroll To Top