There are three pathways to becoming a certified member of ATIM as a translator:
1: Certification by Examination
2: Certification by Portfolio
3: Certification by Reciprocal Agreement
1. Certification by Examination
Translators may obtain certification by passing CTTIC’s Standard Certification Examination. CTTIC is the national federation of provincial translator associations, including ATIM. CTTIC administers certification exams, although the final authority to grant certification in Manitoba lies with ATIM.
These exams are offered a various times throughout the year and are intended for experienced translators.
There is an application fee of $600 per examination.
Am I eligible to write the CTTIC exam?
Before submitting an application to take the standard examination, you must meet one of the following eligibility criteria:
- You must be a resident of Manitoba or of a province that does not have its own CTTIC-member association (outside Québec).
- You must:
(a) hold a B.A. degree in translation and have one year of full-time professional translation experience;*
OR
(b) hold a recognized university degree (B.A., B. Sc., M.A., etc.) and the Certificate in Translation from Université de Saint-‑Boniface and have one year of full-time professional translation experience* (this criterion applies to translators in the official languages of Canada only);
OR
(c) have four years of professional translation experience* (this criterion applies to everyone who does not meet the two criteria listed above).
* What constitutes one year of professional translation experience?
One year of full-time professional experience is equivalent to the translation of:
- 112,500 words/year (official languages)
- 80,000 words/year (Spanish)
- 25,000 words/year (other languages)
I meet the criteria. How do I apply to write the CTTIC exam?
To register for the exam, you must submit the following documents to ATIM for assessment:
- Your resume or curriculum vitae (CV)
- A letter indicating the length of your professional experience and the language combination/direction in which you would like to take the exam
- Letters from your employers or clients confirming your professional experience or length of employment
- The application fee of $600 per examination (payable by cheque or Interac etransfer to treasurer@atim.mb.ca)
All documents must be submitted in French or English via email to certification@atim.mb.ca. If your documents are in another language, they must be translated into French or English and certified as a true translation.
All materials may be sent via email to certification@atim.mb.ca or by regular mail to ATIM, The correct postal address is P.O. Box 207 St. Boniface, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R2H 3B4.
To learn more about the exam marking method and appeal procedure, please consult the Candidates Guide for the CTTIC Translation Exam.
How will I write the exam?
Examinations are usually held twice a year. Once you have submitted your application, you will have five years to become certified. You may attempt the exam as many times as it is offered within those five years (maximum once per calendar year).
2. Certification by Portfolio
This option is geared toward translators working in rarer language combinations that cannot be assessed by examination. Note that this process is more complex than certification by examination and may also take more time.
To be certified by portfolio (also known as on-dossier certification), you must submit samples of your work for evaluation by an ad hoc committee. The committee will also assess your experience and letters of recommendation.
The fee to undergo certification by portfolio is $400.
Am I eligible to be certified by portfolio?
To apply for certification by portfolio, you must meet the following eligibility criteria, based on your educational background:
Translators with a recognized degree in translation or a related field must have the equivalent of two years of full-time translation experience:
- Full-time employment for two years = 112,500 words/years (official languages), 80,000 words/year (Spanish), 25,000 words/year (other languages), on average, or
- Part-time employment for five years = 50,000 word/year (official languages), 32,000 words/year (Spanish), 10,000 words/year (other languages), on average.
Translators without a recognized degree in translation or a related field must have the equivalent of five years of full-time translation experience:
- Full-time employment for five years = 112,500 words/years (official languages), 80,000 words/year (Spanish), 25,000 words/year (other languages ) or
- Part-time employment for ten years = 50,000 word/year (official languages), 32,000 words/year (Spanish), 10,000 words/year (other languages), on average.
I meet the criteria. How do I apply to be certified by portfolio?
You must submit the following materials via email to certification@atim.mb.ca.
- Your application form.
- Written recommendations from two certified translators who are members of ATIM or of another CTTIC member association. Both members must be certified in the same language combination as the candidate.
- Certified copies of any diplomas, degrees, certificates, and mark transcripts issued by a recognized post-secondary institution. Translators with a degree in translation or related field must submit their relevant diploma and transcript from a recognized translation school (member of ACET/CAST).
- Curriculum Vitae (including three professional references)
- Letters from your employer(s) or client(s) confirming your professional experience and length of employment.
- 10 translation samples completed exclusively you (minimum of 500 words each), along with their source texts. The samples must be accompanied by letters from clients or employers confirming that you are the sole author of the translations.
- The $400 fee (payable by cheque to ATIM’s mailing address or via Interac email money transfer to treasurer@atim.mb.ca).
NOTE: in addition to submitting the above materials, you must pass the CTTIC Harmonized Code of Ethics Examination. This exam will be issued to you once your application package has been received and your eligibility has been confirmed. Passing this exam is a requirement for certification but does not in and of itself guarantee that your certification by portfolio will be successful.
How is my portfolio assessed?
Upon receiving your application and support materials, the ATIM board of directors will appoint a three-member evaluation committee to assess your application.
The committee will meet at least twice to evaluate your application.
At the first meeting, committee members will verify your application form and submitted materials, and will distribute your translation samples to be analyzed. If all eligibility criteria have been met, the committee will recommend that you be sent the Harmonized Code of Ethics Examination for completion.
At their second meeting, the committee members will discuss your translation samples and decide whether or not to recommend your certification to the ATIM board of directors.
How long does the certification by portfolio process take?
The evaluation process usually takes approximately three months for candidates who translate between Canada’s official languages. For other language combinations, the evaluation period will depend on the availability of evaluators.
If my application is unsuccessful, can I appeal the decision?
You may appeal the committee’s decision. ATIM will appoint a three-person appeal committee to assess your appeal.
The appeal fee is $100 for official languages applications. For other applications, the fee is based on the cost of the evaluation.
3. Certification by reciprocal agreement
To qualify for certification by reciprocal agreement, you must be certified by another CTTIC-affiliated organization, must currently be a member in good standing of this organization, and must provide evidence of your membership status to ATIM’s director of certification for approval.
OTTIAQ members who became certified prior to 2022 may also apply for certification by reciprocal agreement. OTTIAQ members who became certified after 2022 are ineligible for certification by reciprocal agreement