My mother is not fluent in English, and that fact counted heavily against her on a call to an insurance company recently.
The call was about an important question relating to my mother’s account, so I joined her to make the call. The person on the other end of the phone said they had to verify my mother’s identity, and so they needed her to speak, not me, her daughter. The operator asked what language my mother speaks, and put us on hold while they found a Farsi interpreter.
The American Translators Association (ATA), a well known international organization, offers a translator certification—a distinction that puts all translators, regardless of work status, in a better position to market themselves. For Farsi translators and interpreters in particular, the ATA certification is more than just a suffix.
I am very passionate about the mission of the organization and the importance of these certifications for the following reasons:
I find this article to be both essential and amusing. How many times have I wondered where an English idiom came from and if it does convey the meaning I am looking for. Find out for yourself. Read more.
Dear Farsi Translators and Colleagues:
Respectfully, the translation of Farsi to and from English in the United-States has become questionable. Due to a lack of employment, many young individuals who are familiar with the language but do not possess adequate knowledge and skills to translate, have entered the profession. As you know, the quality of the translations and interpretations produced by these non-qualified translators would disdain one of the most important canons of the ATA Code of Ethics, that is “to convey meaning between people and cultures faithfully, accurately, and impartially”.
I suggest that, if you are seriously considering working as a translator or interpreter of Farsi, please cooperate with the Farsi Language Center’s workgroup to establish a language pair at the American Translators Association (ATA). This will allow us to advocate for high quality Farsi translations and interpretations, to safeguard the Persian language, and to join the rest of the world who have already established and made their languages known by the ATA. Better yet, as ATA certification is the only widely recognized measure of competence in translation in the United-States, being certified can open doors to new business and higher compensations for us, Farsi translators and interpreters.
If you have any suggestions or comments please contact me using the following email address:
I always thought the English speaking world is not speaking correct English. Here is the proof. An article posted on Merriam Webster’s website here.
