ATINS 2020 certification translation exams and the court, community and medical interpreter exams will take place both in the spring and in the fall. Our spring session is as follows:
ATINS Spring Certification Exam
Date: Sunday, April 12, 2020
Time: 9 AM to 12 PM
Location: 5883 Almon Street, Halifax, NS
Cost: $350
Exam Details
We offer the exam in both paper and computerized versions. That is, candidates may choose to write their exam either with pen or on their laptop. Please read the special rules pertaining to the electronic exam at the end of this communication.
For both the electronic and paper versions, the translation exam will consist of two texts to be translated:
- A compulsory general text and
- A choice between two moderately specialized texts (financial and scientific).
(All texts will be approximately 175–185 words in length.)
We encourage candidates to apply for the community or medical interpreter certification exams, which are available in 11 languages: Arabic, Cantonese, Farsi, French, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Punjabi, Spanish, and Hungarian, or the court interpreter certification exam, which is available in seven languages: Cantonese, Farsi, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Punjabi and Spanish.
The interpreter certifications consist of two phases: written, and oral. Only the first phase, that is, the written translation test, will be given on April 12. The oral tests (phase 2) will only be offered once candidates pass the corresponding written component.
Anyone wishing to write the certification exam should carefully review the CTTIC exam application requirements (link below).
Please note that during the examination the use of any type of electronic device (apart from the laptop used by candidates taking the electronic exam) is strictly prohibited. (Electronic devices include but are not limited to cell phones, pagers, Blackberries®, iPods®, laptop computers, and tablets). Any such use will result in the candidate’s disqualification; the examination will not be marked and the fee will not be refunded.
How to Register
Only ATINS Candidates for Certification may register to take this exam. Kindly consult application requirements as linked below. The deadline to submit exam applications is March 20, 2020.
Exam Preparation: An Important Aid to Success
ATINS strongly encourages all candidates to adequately prepare for the exam. It is important to consult every document listed below, in particular, the Candidate and Marking Guides and the Certification Exam Orientation. Here are a few additional recommendations for exam candidates:
- Review all grammatical rules not yet mastered.
- For those translating into English or French, review Canadian style writing conventions by consulting either The Canadian Style or Le guide du rédacteur.
- Study common word usage errors (including the problematic use of prepositions and idiomatic word combinations) in a trusted reference book.
- Bring all relevant reference documents to the exam. Bookmark their useful sections with well-identified tabs in order to consult them quickly.
- Simulate an exam session by choosing two challenging 200-word texts and translating them within 3 hours strictly adhering to normal exam conditions, that is, no breaks, no additional time allotment, and no access to online resources. Attempt to mark your translations using the marking guide (below), and make note of all necessary improvements.
- For interpreters only, review Canadian ethical and professional conduct rules for your particular field (community, court, or medical).
- It is often better to postpone taking an exam in order to get ready than to take it while being ill-prepared. ATINS will be hosting another certification exam session this fall.
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Important Links
Translator Exam Application Requirements.pdf (see page 2)
Interpreter Exam Application Requirements.pdf
Certification Exam Orientation.ppt
CTTIC-Marker's Guide for Translation.pdf
CTTIC-Marker's Guide for Court Interpreting.pdf
CTTIC-Candidate's Guide_En.pdf
CTTIC-Candidate's Guide_Fr.pdf
Computerized Exam Rules.pdf
What to expect in phase 2 of the interpreter exams.pdf
Exam Registration Form
Sample Text English (2017)
Sample Text French (2017)
Special Rules - Electronic Exam
Candidates will bring their own laptop computers with MS Word (or some other word processing software capable of reading Word files) installed to write the exam, and they will assume responsibility for any technical issue, including power failure or issues related to the operation of the computer or its software. Tablets or computers without a USB port may NOT be used for this exam.
Candidates are allowed to use Word’s spelling and grammar checking features, but internet access and use of any other software or electronic devices are strictly prohibited.
Candidates may bring as many print dictionaries and reference documents as they like but no electronic dictionaries or devices will be allowed.
Once the candidate is given the exam texts, the exam will be considered taken, and no retake will be offered or may be demanded in case a candidate is unable to finish their exam because of technical difficulties arising from computer or software issues. Candidates may request that their exams be marked even though they might not have been able to finish translating both texts.
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