The ATA Chronicle - May/June 2022 - 27

example, a passing grade
on ATA's exam is roughly
equivalent to a minimum
of Level 3 (Professional
Performance) proficiency
as described in the
Interagency Language
Roundtable's ILR Skill
Level Descriptions for
Translation.9
are enrolled to meet their
minimum threshold.
Takeaways
Criteria may
need to be established
to verify language
proficiency whether by
educational achievements,
independent testing,
work experience, or a
combination of these.
y Participants should be
grouped in the feedback
spreadsheet with those
having similar work
experience, education,
or skill, since disparities
can lead to inconsistent
and sometimes
unhelpful feedback.
y Participants should be
encouraged to only
work in one language
direction at a time to
ensure they have the time
to dedicate consistently.
y Clear expectations need
to be articulated from
the beginning so all
participants understand
they must submit
both translations and
feedback on other
participants' translations.
y Some late enrollment was
allowed, which proved to
be challenging both for
the participants and the
coordination team. To
avoid this, late enrollment
should be discouraged
when a program runs
for several months. By
comparison, ATA's Slavic
Languages Division runs
its peer-based study group
on a one-month cycle, but
only if enough participants
www.ata-chronicle.online
An exit survey was conducted
at the conclusion of the
program with 30 participants
responding. Questions
were asked relating to
time commitments,
subject matter used for
translation passages, general
comments on feedback
practices, technology tools,
and whether or not their
expectations were met.
The majority of participants
completed between 10 and
11 modules out of a total of
12. While most participants
were satisfied that the
six-month program was
an appropriate length,
there was also significant
interest in a shorter but more
intensive two- to threemonth
program. A majority
of participants found that
Slack was a helpful tool for
this type of study group.
Interestingly, even after the
initiative was completed,
most participants were not
sure if they would take the
certification exam within
the next six months. We're
happy to report that two
of the group's participants
subsequently took the
certification exam and passed.
Overall, the experience of
this peer study group was
gratifying and beneficial,
especially for participants
who stayed until the end.
Many participants expressed
interest in continuing with
the study group, and
anecdotally there seems to be
an appetite for peer-based
study groups. We hope the
information presented here
can serve as a model for any
such future endeavors.
I would like to acknowledge the indispensable contributions of
Angela Bustos, Erin Riddle, Michele Bantz, Deborah Bentolila-Hahn,
Helena Senatore, and Rafael Treviño, both in administrating the
study group and in preparing this article.
NOTES
1.
2.
3.
" Guide to ATA Certification, " https://bit.ly/
ATA-certificationguide.
Ibid.
Guzenko, Maria, and Eugenia Tietz-Sokolskaya. " Peer
Reviewed: Collaborative Preparation for the Certification
Exam, " The ATA Chronicle (September/October 2017), 38,
https://bit.ly/Guzenko-Tietz-Sokolskaya.
4.
" About the ATA Certification Exam, " https://bit.ly/AboutATA-exam.
5.
See
" Practical Tips for Taking ATA's Certification Exam
Online, " https://bit.ly/ATA-exam-tips, and Hansen, Michèle,
" The Online Exam Is Here, " The ATA Chronicle (July/August
2021), https://bit.ly/Hansen-online-exam.
6.
See " ATA Computerized Exam Online Resource List: What's
Permitted and What's Not, " tinyurl.com/ATAExamResources.
7.
" Framework for Standardized Error Marking, https://bit.ly/
framework-errors and " Flowchart for Error Point Decisions, "
https://bit.ly/flowchart-errors.
8.
" ATA Certification Exam: Explanation of Error Categories, "
http://bit.ly/error-categories.
9.
The Interagency Language Roundtable is an unfunded federal
organization. It's where government employees interested in
languages can come together with counterparts inside and
outside government to discuss and share information and
address concerns. See: https://bit.ly/ILR-about.
Jason Knapp is a freelance interpreter and
translator and the owner of Knapp Language
Services, LLC. He specializes in the translation of
legal, medical, manufacturing, and construction
subject matter. He is certified as a court interpreter
in California, Colorado, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Oregon.
He is also certified as a medical interpreter for Spanish through
the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters. He
has a post-graduate certificate in conference interpreting from the
Universidad del Salvador. jason@knapplanguageservices.com
American Translators Association 27
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