Conseil des traducteurs,
terminologues et interprètes du Canada
Canadian Translators,
Terminologists and Interpreters Council
The 2007 CTTC Award is awarded to M. Michel Buttiens
The 2007 Volunteer Award is awarded to; Mme. Kathleen Quarry Beaulieu
One of CTTIC's main activities has been to implement standard certification procedures, in accordance with its objective to provide uniform standards for the profession and to ensure the competence of the members of the bodies it represents. To date these have taken the form of examinations under the aegis of CTTIC but which are a co-operative effort with its member bodies. A Board of Certification, reporting to the CTTIC Council, sets the standards for certification procedures and exercises overall control. The examinations administered by the Board of Certification (formerly the Board of Examiners) have included those for translators, conference interpreters, court interpreters and terminologists. All forms of certification include an Ethics component. CTTIC does not accept applications for certification. These are normally directed to the member body serving the applicant's province or territory of residence. Successful completion of an examination or other certification procedure confers the status of certified member, which is portable among all member bodies.
A language professional who has had at least 5 years of professional practice can apply for certification on dossier.
Translation examinations have been held since 1975. They are intended for professionals who wish to have their competence recognized by their peers.
They seek not to identify mere aptitude or potential, but rather to attest to a candidate's professional skills. In translation, for example, a candidate
who can produce a translation which is faithful and idiomatic and requires little or no revision is deemed capable of practising the profession independently.
The examination is held annually on the same day in a number of cities across Canada. Registration is usually in the early fall. National correction centres
for official language examinations accelerate and ensure uniformity in the marking process.
- The Candidate's Guide
- The Marker's Guide
The conference interpreters' examination was developed some years ago in Quebec and is now administered by CTTIC. It is open to professional interpreters who have worked 200 days under conditions of regular practice or who have equivalent qualifications.
The professional examination for certifying court interpreters was first developed by STIBC in co-operation with OTTIAQ, and in 1993 this examination was adopted by CTTIC. It involves several components: language proficiency, legal terminology and procedures, consecutive interpreting and a mock trial.
The terminology examination had been in existence in Quebec for some years when, in 1991, CTTIC organized the first standard terminology examination purposes. It is intended to certify on the basis of a sound theoretical and practical grounding in terminology. The candidate is required to prove his or her ability to undertake relatively difficult terminological tasks and conduct terminological research in a specialized field.
The titles of certified translator, certified conference interpreter, certified court interpreter and certified terminologist are now protected by law in New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia where ATIO, CTINB, OTTIAQ and STIBC have gained legal professional recognition by their provincial governments, bringing to fruition years of work by the leaders of those bodies. Some form of de facto recognition is also accorded by the public authorities to the members of most other member bodies, which are seeking official recognition of their titles within their respective jurisdictions.