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How I prepared for the ATA Certification Exam and passed on my first attempt
Thread poster: Melanie Meyer
Melanie Meyer
Melanie Meyer  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 11:21
Member (2010)
English to German
+ ...
Dec 1, 2023

Dear Colleagues,

Please check out my blog post for the German Language Division (GLD) of the American Translators Association about my preparation for the ATA Certification Exam from English into German and my experience on the testing platform.

I took the on-demand exam, which you can schedule at your own convenience and ... See more
Dear Colleagues,

Please check out my blog post for the German Language Division (GLD) of the American Translators Association about my preparation for the ATA Certification Exam from English into German and my experience on the testing platform.

I took the on-demand exam, which you can schedule at your own convenience and take from home.

https://ata-divisions.org/GLD/how-i-became-a-member-of-the-ata-class-of-2023/

I hope that my story will help other translators plan and prepare for the exam.





[Edited at 2023-12-01 17:08 GMT] ▲ Collapse


Christopher Schröder
Rita Translator
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 16:21
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
@Melanie Dec 1, 2023

Thank you and congratulations!
 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
Well done Dec 1, 2023

An interesting story. I never bothered with certification because it was so far removed from the real world (back then you had to take a suitcase of dictionaries and work without internet access), and it doesn’t seem to have changed much in that respect. I think I would have had a meltdown.

Jorge Payan
 
Melanie Meyer
Melanie Meyer  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 11:21
Member (2010)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you, Maria Teresa! :) Dec 2, 2023

Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida wrote:

Thank you and congratulations!


 
Melanie Meyer
Melanie Meyer  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 11:21
Member (2010)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you, Christopher! Dec 2, 2023

Christopher Schröder wrote:

An interesting story. I never bothered with certification because it was so far removed from the real world (back then you had to take a suitcase of dictionaries and work without internet access), and it doesn’t seem to have changed much in that respect. I think I would have had a meltdown.



I know exactly what you mean, and that is why it took me 12 years to go for it. In addition, I am not extremely tech-savvy and tend to get easily stressed and nervous. So, I would be lying if I said that the technical hurdles didn't add greatly to my stress. But then again, I think the handwritten and paper dictionary format would not have been much more helpful.

In an ideal world, I suppose the ATA would find/use a testing platform provider that offers a higher quality interface.


[Edited at 2023-12-02 20:22 GMT]
 


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How I prepared for the ATA Certification Exam and passed on my first attempt







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