The ATA Chronicle - March/April 2020 - 37

CERTIFICATION FORUM

BY DAVID STEPHENSON

Changes in ATA Continuing Education Requirements

A

TA introduced continuing
education requirements for
certification in 2004. Prior to that,
ATA certification was a "once-and-done"
system, meaning that individuals who
passed the exam remained certified as
long as they remained ATA members.
Introducing continuing education
requirements brought the Association
more in line with the practices of other
credentialing bodies, where it had
long been commonplace to require
credentialed persons to submit proof of
activities and experiences that advance
professional development.
In the intervening 16 years, the
criteria for earning continuing
education points (CEPs) have remained
largely static. In a number of cases,
the Certification Program manager
has fielded requests to award CEPs for
activities not explicitly addressed in
the original materials on continuing
education. Quite a few of these
requests have been granted, but the
overall structure for awarding CEPs has
remained the same.
For that reason, a year ago the
Certification Committee created a
Continuing Education Task Force to
consider changes in the continuing
education criteria, so that they might
better reflect the realities of today's
translation profession and marketplace.
In July 2019, the task force presented
its recommendations to the Board,
which approved the changes. A few
tweaks were subsequently made and
approved by the Board when it met
during the Annual Conference in Palm
Springs. The changes took effect at the
beginning of this year.
Here's a summary of what's new:
Exemption for Age 60+: Previously,
certified translators (CTs) were
exempted from reporting CEPs once
they reached the age of 60. Now,
the reporting requirement continues
regardless of age. This means that CTs
www.atanet.org

A year ago the Certification Committee created a Continuing Education
Task Force to consider changes in the continuing education criteria,
so that they might better reflect the realities of today's translation
profession and marketplace.

who are 60 years of age or older must
submit CE points, but are exempt from
paying the recertification fee. This
change does not apply to those who
already claimed the over 60 exemption
in the past, or to those born before
January 1, 1963.
Online Courses: Previously, conferences,
courses, workshops, and seminars on
translation and interpreting (whether
online or onsite) were reported as
Category A (which earns the highest
number of points). Now, this applies
only to interactive online events. Noninteractive online courses must be

reported as Category B (independent
study). Proof that an online course was
interactive must be submitted to qualify
for Category A.
Other Category A Changes: Events
are capped at no more than five points
per day (one hour = one point), or
up to 10 points for multi-day events.
Previously, it was possible to earn points
by reading articles in the ATA Conference
Proceedings, but this possibility has now
been eliminated.
Category B (Independent Study):
The maximum reportable points for
American Translators Association

37
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The ATA Chronicle - March/April 2020

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