关键词: 资格考试; 笔译员; 口译员

Abstract: Since the 1970s, accreditation tests for translators and interpreters have been successively held in Australia, the USA, Canada, the UK and China. However, few comparative studies of these accreditation tests have been conducted. Therefore, this paper first provides an overview of major accreditation tests for translators and interpreters in the world. A comparison between these tests is then carried out based on their similarities and differences. They are mainly in five aspects, namely, administering organizations, eligibility requirements, contents of the tests, marking procedures and continuing education for the certification. Through the comparison, it is suggested that we can learn from the successful experiences of other countries to make China Accreditation Test for Translators and Interpreters (CATTI) better serve the translation and interpreting industry. More specifically, for the development of both the test system and test-takers, it is recommended that we implement a policy of eligibility requirements, create a testing environment which is close to a real-life translation assignment and place great emphasis on examining test-takers’ knowledge and awareness of professional ethics. Besides, translation tests on certain levels should be in a specific language pair and direction – from or into Chinese. As for the preparation for CATTI, a test preparation service system is expected to be established so as to familiarize more potential test-takers with the test. In addition, to support certified translators, it is vital to establish a social service system for such credentials and job opportunities, which means we should formulate a policy stipulating that certain translation projects can only be commissioned to certified translators. Finally, to meet the changing social environment, attention should also be paid to life-long learning after the certification.

Keywords: accreditation ; translators; interpreters