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The CTP Program: Is it worth it?
De persoon die dit onderwerp heeft geplaatst: Thomas Luke Vandergriff
Thomas Luke Vandergriff
Thomas Luke Vandergriff
Verenigde Staten
Local time: 07:30
Portugees naar Engels
+ ...
Aug 4, 2011

Hello everyone,

I have been looking for translators training courses and certification online. Truthfully I just moved back to the USA after living in Bolivia and I have basically no money to invest. The few online courses that I did find are very expensive. Except for this CTP certification which is all over the web. The course seems to be pretty easy and simple and it is pretty inexpensive. But would it be recognized by potential clients and translation agencies?

T... See more
Hello everyone,

I have been looking for translators training courses and certification online. Truthfully I just moved back to the USA after living in Bolivia and I have basically no money to invest. The few online courses that I did find are very expensive. Except for this CTP certification which is all over the web. The course seems to be pretty easy and simple and it is pretty inexpensive. But would it be recognized by potential clients and translation agencies?

This is one of their many links.

http://translationcertification.org

What other options do I have?

My language pairs are Portuguese to English and Spanish to English. ▲ Collapse
 
James McVay
James McVay  Identity Verified
Verenigde Staten
Local time: 07:30
Russisch naar Engels
+ ...
CTP has been discussed here before Aug 4, 2011

Here are a couple of previous discussions:

See more
Here are a couple of previous discussions:

http://www.proz.com/forum/translator_resources/151340-has_anyone_heard_of_ctpcertified_translation_professional_program_by_global_translation_institute.html

http://www.proz.com/forum/professional_development/203891-certification_is_becoming_essential.html ▲ Collapse
 
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT  Identity Verified
Spanje
Local time: 13:30
Lid 2005
Engels naar Spaans
+ ...
Look for authentic certification Aug 4, 2011

Thomas Vandergriff wrote:
This is one of their many links.

What do the "many links" tell you? Let me ask you this: how many links does the American Translators Association have? How many do Universities have? How many do the ITI and the IOL have? Just one each. This should be food for thought: none of these organisations is a marketing company.

The nature of the company offering this "certification" has been discussed many times in the past in the fora listed by the colleague, and many more. If you ask me, look for proper certification with the American Translators Association, the equivalent Canadian certification, the Diploma in Translation of the Chartered Instite of Linguists, or university diploma programmes out there.

You are a translator and should be trained to read between the lines. The truth of an organisation is not in what they say, but in what they don't say.

[Edited at 2011-08-04 16:13 GMT]
 
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT  Identity Verified
Spanje
Local time: 13:30
Lid 2005
Engels naar Spaans
+ ...
Investments Aug 4, 2011

Thomas Vandergriff wrote:
I have been looking for translators training courses and certification online. Truthfully I just moved back to the USA after living in Bolivia and I have basically no money to invest. The few online courses that I did find are very expensive. Except for this CTP certification which is all over the web. The course seems to be pretty easy and simple and it is pretty inexpensive.

Yes, the course is easy and simple, and they will surely mark your "exam" with a "pass" before they click the Print button. They will have achieved their goal: selling a course.

You surely want to make money as a freelance translator. OK. A very noble and legitimate goal, but every business and profession requires training, experience, and of course an investment. You would not want to hire a dentist who hasn't learned his trade, or a lawyer who does not know what a law school is.

The best you can do if you are serious about this profession is to ask an experienced translator to evaluate your capabilities and judge whether you are minimally prepared to become a translator. If you are, your next step is to borrow some money and do a good training programme in preparation for your certification exam, with an actual teacher who can help you realize your weaknesses and work on them.

Then you have to consider the kind of certification. For certification in the US, check the American Translators Association's website for information about whether you are elligible to take the exam (a degree in translation OR a degree in another subject plus two years of proven translation experience OR five years of proven translation experience). You have other exams, like the Diploma in Translation by the Chartered Institute of Linguists, which do not require a degree or experience, but which are probably more exacting than ATA's.

Thomas Vandergriff wrote:
But would it be recognized by potential clients and translation agencies?

Ask the training company for a list of national/international government bodies and national/international translators associations recognising their "certification". Ask them as well whether they are a government body or a translators association. Their answers will be very revealing.

Good luck!
 
russtran09 (X)
russtran09 (X)
Engels naar Russisch
+ ...
Absolutely not Aug 4, 2011

Waste of your time and money
 


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The CTP Program: Is it worth it?







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