American Translators Association


The American Translators Association is the largest professional association of translators and interpreters in the United States with nearly 8,500 members in more than 100 countries.
Founded in 1959, membership is open to anyone with an interest in translation and interpretation as a profession or as a scholarly pursuit. 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 association is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia.
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 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 interpretation as professions. The Association offers a variety of programs and services in support of these goals, including and throughout the year and an every fall—all of which feature translating and interpreting education in diverse specialties and languages.

Certification

The ATA currently offers certification exams in the following language pairs:
Into English from Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Ukrainian.
From English into Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Ukrainian.
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. See , , and .

International Translation Day

Since 2018, ATA has celebrated International Translation Day by publishing a series of social media posts intended to educate the public about the role of professional translators and interpreters. centered on six infographics highlighting "need to know" facts about translation and interpreting services.

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.

Current officers

Source:
  • Geoff Koby, President
  • Andy Benzo, President-Elect
  • Eve Bodeux, Secretary
  • Robin Bonthrone, Treasurer

    Past presidents

Source:
  • 1960–1963 Alexander Gode
  • 1963–1965 Kurt Gingold
  • 1965–1967 Henry Fischbach
  • 1967–1969 Boris Anzlowar
  • 1969–1970 Daniel Peter Moynihan
  • 1970–1971 William I. Bertsche
  • 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
  • 2019–2021 Ted Wozniak
  • 2021–2023 Madalena Sánchez Zampaulo
  • 2023–2025 Veronika Demichelis

    Publications

  • is a monthly publication available and in hard-copy format. The publication includes articles on various translation- and interpreting-related issues combined with regular features.
  • is an e-newsletter distributed to members twice a month. The publication features national and international news about translation and interpreting.
  • 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.
  • is a free e-publication for buyers of translation and interpreting services.
  • ATA Scholarly Monograph Series—Published annually by John Benjamins.

    Awards

The ATA presents the following annual and biennial awards "to encourage, reward, and publicize outstanding work": Awards tha the ATA sponsors include the Advocacy Award, Alexander Gode Medal, Dynamo Award, Impact Award, Innovation Award, Lewis Galantière Award, Mentoring Award, Rising Star Award, Student Translation Award, and Ungar German Translation Award.

Lewis Galantière Award

The ATA bestows the Lewis Galantière Award even-numbered years for a book-length translation into English, from a language other than German. Galantière was founding member of the association.
Award Recipients:
The Ungar German Translation Award is given in odd-numbered years, for a book-length translation from German into English.

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.
  • Arabic Language Division
  • Chinese Language Division

  • ATA chapters

ATA chapters and affiliates provide regional information, marketing, networking, and support services to local translators and interpreters.

  • Affiliated groups