Below are some of the frequently asked questions regarding the Certified Translation Professional (CTP) Program and Examination. If you are interested in the CTP, please consider downloading the CTP Study Guide or learning more about why others have enrolled by clicking here.
- What is a certification program?
- What makes this different from other professional translation designations?
- What are the advantages of becoming CTP Certified?
- What are the prerequisites for registering for the CTP program?
- What languages are available for certification?
- What if I need to move my scheduled examination date?
- What happens if I take the examination before the refund period is up?
- What happens if I take the examination before my payment plan is completed?
- How long will it take to complete the CTP program?
- Do I need to provide proof of my experience before I can take the exam?
- If I have taken ESL for over 1 year, does that count as proof of experience?
- I have more than a year of experience working as a freelance translator; does that count as proof of experience, as is required to join the CTP program?
- Who has completed the CTP Designation Program?
- Are there any other fees aside from the $397 registration fee?
- Can I pay the fee now and take the exam at a later date?
- If I fail the exam, do I have to resubmit any documentation before taking the examination again?
- If I fail the exam, how much do I have to pay to retake the exam?
- How many times can I take the exam?
- Will I receive a physical certificate after passing the exam?
- When and where can I take the exam?
- Can I take the exam online?
- Can I complete the CTP program from London or Brazil? What about other countries?
- How much do I have to study for this exam?
- I know that I want to earn the Certified Translation Professional (CTP) Certification. How do I register for the exam?
- Where can I buy the required book for this program?
- When will I get my test results back?
- What score do I need to pass the exam?
- What methods of payment are accepted for the program?
- As an employer, why should I hire someone who has earned this translation certification?
- When can I register for the program?
- Is the exam fee refundable?
- Can I use the text book or the internet during the examination?
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Question: What is a certification program?
Answer: A certification program is a designation earned by a person to assure qualification to perform a job or task.
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- Question:What makes this different from other professional translation designations?
Answer: The CTP Designation Program is 100% online, so you can take the exam from anywhere in the world, and it is the fastest growing certification program for freelance translators and translation career professionals. Our tuition is lower than a single course at a university, and there are no ongoing membership dues or fees of any type when you complete the CTP Program. The CTP Program is the only certification program recommended by the Global Translation Institute (GTI).
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- Question: What are the advantages of becoming CTP Certified?
Answer: All participants gain access to our Library of Audio Interviews, which we have conducted with experienced translators from all over the world. By listening to these interviews you can receive valuable translation career advice directly from trusted experts in the industry.
1.) All participants gain access to our Library of the Audio Interviews, which we have conducted with experienced translators from all over the world. By listening to these interviews you can receive valuable translation career advice directly from trusted experts in the industry.
2.) Those who join the CTP also gain access to our Translator Training Video Platform, which provides 50 concise educational videos as well as audio study tips and a resume template.
3.) After joining you also get free access to our $300 database of over 1,000 global translation agencies and their full contact details in Excel (Sold for $300 at DatabaseofTranslators.com).
4.) CTP Alumni also get “author status” on our leading websites, BecomeATranslator.com and TranslationTraining.org, where they can grow their industry profile and contribute original articles to the website.
- Question: What are the prerequisites for the program?
Answer: All candidates looking to complete the CTP Program must hold at least 1 year of translation experience.
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- Question: What languages are available for certification?
Answer:The CTP Designation Program is currently available for 22 different language pairs. Our exam evaluates participants’ abilities to translate in both directions. For example, if you choose the English-Spanish language pair you will be tested on translating from English into Spanish as well as Spanish into English. The language options are: English, French, Chinese (Mandarin), German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Japanese, Greek, Korean, Polish, Dutch, Irish, Romanian, Hindi, Thai, Indonesian, Punjabi, and Danish.
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- Question: How do I move my scheduled examination date?
Answer: Please notify our team by email at Team@TranslationInstitute.orgor by phone at 503-336-4826 to move your examination date. A request to move an already scheduled examination date must be received at least 2 weeks prior to the examination date. There is no fee to move your examination date before the 2-week deadline.If an examination date is not moved by the 2-week deadline, you will remain scheduled for that specific examination date. To move an examination after the 2-week cutoff, a $99 fee will be applied.
- Question: What happens if I take the examination before the 7-week refund period is up? Can I change my mind after taking the exam and still get a refund?
Answer: Refunds will not be made after an examination has been scheduled and the examination has been sent to a participant to complete. Once you submit your examination date request and are subsequently sent the online examination to complete, your refund period will be voided.
- Question: What happens if I take the examination before my payment plan is completed? Do I have to finish paying?
Answer: Please note that by using the payment plan option offered on the CTP website, you agree to the following terms – examination results will be sent to you via email one month after your examination takes place. If you have passed the examination, but still owe payments, your certificate and designation will not be made available to you until the final payment has been made. You are always welcome to pay off a payment plan balance and receive your certificate and designation in a more timely manner. If you have any questions about this process, please let us know.
- Question: Do I need to provide proof of my experience before I can take the exam?
Answer: Yes. You need to provide this additional documentation for verification by filling out the registration form. You can do so in the registration form.
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- Question: If I have taken ESL for over 1 year, does that count as proof of experience?
Answer: No. You must have at least one year of translation experience to join the CTP program.
- Question: I have more than a year of experience working as a freelance translator; does that count as proof of experience, as is required to join the CTP program?
Answer: Yes. If you have worked as a freelance translator for more than 1 year, a prerequisite of joining the CTP program, you are eligible to join the CTP and take the exam.
- Question: Who can complete the CTP Designation Program?
Answer: Participants in the CTP Program may include:
• Corporate or Freelance Translators
• Professionals specializing in both interpretation and translation
• Teams of professional translators who work together
• Professors and teachers
- Question: Are there any other fees aside from the $397 registration fee?
Answer: The $397 registration payment covers tuition, access to the CTP Training Video Tutorials, audio recordings, the practice exam, and the actual examination fee. It also covers the certificate and our leather-like holder, which we ship to you after you pass the examination. The only fee not included is that of the required reading. To review the required reading, please click here.There, you can purchase the electronic PDF copy or visit Amazon.com to purchase the hard copy.
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- Question: Can I pay the fee now and take the exam at a later date?
Answer: Yes. There is no deadline to take the CTP examination. You must notify the CTP team at least two weeks before your desired examination date, however. If you miss or fail your examination, there is a $99 retake fee. This can be paid on the registration page.
- Question: If I fail the exam, do I have to resubmit any of documentation before taking the examination again?
Answer: No. Once you are registered, we will keep your information in our records.
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- Question: If I fail the exam, how much do I have to pay to retake the exam?
Answer: If you fail the exam you will have to pay a total of $99 to retake the exam.
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Question: How many times can I take the exam?
Answer: You can take the exam as many times as needed, though the retake fee will apply with each retake.
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- Question: Am I going to receive a certificate upon passing the exam?
Answer: Yes. Once you successfully pass the examination (which requires earning a minimum grade of 80%), we will send you a certificate in the mail. We will confirm your mailing address with you before it is sent. This service is included in the registration fee.
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- Question: When and where can I take the exam?
Answer: Each year, the CTP exam is held every 3 months in February, May, August, and November on the first Saturday of the month. After you register, you will receive instructions on choosing an appropriate examination date, as you are able to choose from any available exam date. The CTP program is 100% online, including the examination.
The examination is offered for 24 hours on the date of your exam (based on Eastern Standard Time (GMT-4)). Once you start the examination, you will have 3 hours to complete it. Your examination link and further information is sent to you the night before the examination (at 11:55pm EST).
To schedule your examination date after you register for the CTP, please read the Welcome email. The deadline to schedule an examination date is 2 weeks before the exam date. If you request your examination date after that time, you will be scheduled for the next examination.
- Question: Can I take the exam online?
Answer: The exam is only available online. This makes it possible for you to earn the certification from anywhere in the world.
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- Question: Can I complete the CTP program from London or Brazil? What about other countries?
Answer: Yes. You can complete the CTP from anywhere in world and take the examination online. As long as you have a good internet connection, the CTP program is accessible to everyone, anywhere.
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- Question: How much do I have to study for this exam?
Answer: Preparation time required for this exam depends on each candidate’s current knowledge, experience, reading speed, and comprehension. It is impossible to calculate how much time a specific individual would need to prepare, but we suggest 75-100 hours of reading /study time. There is only one required textbook, and some people may require extra time in order to gain a better understanding of its contents.
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- Question: I know that I want to earn the Certified Translation Professional (CTP) Certification. How do I register for the exam?
Answer: You can register for the CTP on the registration page.
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- Question: Where can I buy the required book for this program?
Answer: To purchase the required textbook, please see our Required Reading page.
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- Question: When will I get my test results back?
Answer: Examination results are sent out one month after examinations are completed. We make an effort to get them back to participants in a timely manner. We grade essay answers and translation passages for up to 100 participants each examination, and work as quickly as we can. We will send examination results as soon as they are calculated.
After one month has passed, please feel free to get in touch the next day and we can look into your examination results. Any requests for results before that time slow the grading process, and your patience is greatly appreciated.
- Question: What score do I need to pass the exam?
Answer: You need to earn a minimum grade of 80% in order to pass the exam.
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- Question: What methods of payment are accepted for the program?
Answer: We accept payment through any major credit card, check, wire transfer, PayPal, and Western Union. Payment plans are only offered through PayPal, so you must have an active PayPal account with a linked account or credit card. Please see the registration page for more information on payment and the offered payment plan. You can find the registration page here.
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- Question: As an employer, why should I hire someone who has earned this translation certification?
Answer: The CTP Certification ensures that if you hire someone who has completed this program, he or she has mastered a certain base level of knowledge about conducting professional translation projects. Our program tests participants within six distinct areas including; ethics, translation work, translation best practices, translation skills, translation career, and quality of translation.
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- Question: When can I register for the program?
Answer: Registration for the CTP program is open year-round. We limit the number of registrations each exam session to just 100 participants. To ensure you reserve your desired examination date, please register for the program by clicking here.
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- Question: Is the exam fee refundable?
Answer: Refunds will be made if written notification is received in the first 7 weeks after registration was completed. After 7 weeks has passed, refunds will not be made. Moreover, a refund will not be offered if you take the CTP examination before the 7-week refund period has passed. Your refund period will end as soon as the examination link is sent to you via email.
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Answer: You are welcome use your notes or a translation aid, like a dictionary or software, but as if translating for a client, you would not use software or copy and paste from another source. As such, you are expected to submit your own work during the exam. If there is any indication of plagiarism, whereby the work of someone else is used without giving credit, participants will receive an immediate failing grade and will be removed from the program.
These participants will not be given an opportunity to retake the examination, and a refund will not be issued. Any copying of someone else’s work is taken very seriously, and measures will be taken to ensure that CTP holders are of the highest caliber. Do not copy and paste someone else’s work for any part of the examination.
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