1 – Who is eligible for membership of the Translation Association?
Any professional translator or editor aged 19 or over, any academician engaged in the field of translation and any translation company owner, adopting the By-laws of the Association, not restricted by law or entitled to exercise his/her civil rights may be a member of the Association. A student may not be a member of the Association, but may volunteer for, or benefit from, the Association’s activities.
2 – I studied Business Administration and have been providing translation services; Am I eligible for membership of the Association?
You do not have to hold a university degree in translation to be a member of the Association. Providing good quality translation services is the most basic prerequisite for membership of the Association. In short, membership of the Association is open to all translators.
3 – I am competent in a foreign language, but I have never done a translation until now; am I eligible for membership of the Association?
Being competent in a foreign language does not necessarily make you eligible for membership; You have to have at least 2 years of hands-on experience in translation and have produced translations of good quality.
4 – I work for a translation company, but I do not translate; am I eligible for membership of the Association?
Two non-translator executive officers of a translation company may join the Translation Association as members. Non-translator employees of a translation company are not eligible for membership of the Association.
5 – I am a student and do translation. Can I join the Association as a member?
Unfortunately, the Associations Law does not permit a student to be a member of the Translation Association. However, if you are interested in translation, you can join the Association’s activities as a visitor or volunteer.
6 – I am an engineer and do technical translation. Am I eligible for membership?
Any professional proving that he/she has been doing translation regularly for at least two years is eligible for membership of the Association
7 – I am a foreigner; am I eligible for membership of your Association?
A foreigner having a lawful permanent resident status in Turkey may be a member of the Association.
8 – What documents do I need to submit to be a member of the Translation Association?
First of all, you need to fill out and submit the Membership Application Form (available online at ceviridernegi.org). The Board of Directors of the Association evaluates membership applications at its ordinary monthly meetings and notifies each applicant in writing of whether his/her application is accepted or not.
9 – Is there a joining fee I must pay?
No, the Translation Association does not charge a joining fee.
10 – What is the Translation Association’s annual membership fee?
The Translation Association’s annual membership fee is TL 50 for the calendar year 2005..
11 – Would joining the Translation Association help me find a translation job or contract translation projects?
Membership of the Translation Association is a strong sign of a translator’s professional competence, qualification, and dedication to professional ethics and standards. Membership of the Translation Association naturally ensures that its member translators are trustworthy. When applying for a translation job, it would be advantageous for an Association-member translator to mention his/her membership.
12 – Who are the members of the Translation Association?
Among the members of the Translation Association are translation companies, representatives of translation companies, university lecturers and translators.
13 – Can I have some information about the members of the Translation Association?
By clicking on the “Members” button on our website, you can access the list of the Association’s members. Only Association members can view the member profiles.
14 – Is the Association affiliated with international translation associations?
The Translation Association joined FIT (International Federation of Translators) in 2004.
15 – What is the purpose of the Translation Association?
The purposes and services of the Translation Association are set out in Article 2 of its By-laws. The purposes and services of the Association briefly include the following:
16 – Does the Translation Association have a branch or an office in cities other than Istanbul?
The By-laws of the Translation Association authorise it to open up branches in other cities. However, the Association does not yet have a branch in cities other than Istanbul, except for our representatives in various cities.
17 – At the Translation Association, what do you do to improve the translation profession?
The Translation Association and its members cooperate to help the translation departments of universities and translation companies plan their internship programmes and to diversify their existing training programmes on translation, to create translation resources and models, and to hold meetings to discuss translation theories and practices.
18 – How does the Translation Association contribute to the translation sector?
The Translation Association serves as a distinguished platform through which the sector’s existing and potential problems are discussed; vocational improvement and communication among the Association’s members are ensured; awareness of the translation sector and the translation profession is enhanced; the opportunity to play an active role in the professional, ethical and theoretical developments; and membership in international translation organisations and access to jobs and human resources are supported and assisted.
19 – Does the Translation Association assign translation projects to individuals?
The Translation Association does not offer translation jobs to any one..
20 – Do I have to join the Association to form a translation company?
No, you don’t, currently. But the Association is working on a plan to require membership for those wishing to form a translation company.
21 – What do I need to do to form a translation company?
Pursuant to the Turkish Code of Commerce, individuals may either form a translation company or set up as a sole trader or, alternatively, provide taxable translation services at their homes. Currently, there is no document or license that is required to be received from the Association to form and run such a translation business. Individuals running a translation company or a translation office and applying for corporate membership of the Association must submit copies of their translator certificates, diplomas and letters of reference as required.
22 – In which language(s) do I need to translate to be a member of the Association?
Translators working in the written languages recognised by the United Nations and having a lawful permanent resident status in Turkey are eligible for membership of the Association.
23 – In how many languages does the translation sector in Turkey provide translation services?
We assume that, in Turkey, translation services are provided in all the existing and widely used languages.
24 – In which language are translation services needed most?
The English language.
25 – Does the Association issue a reference price list for translation services?
No, it does not, because we believe that, under the current circumstances, the rates for translation services should be determined by the supply and demand within the market.
26 – Does the Association have control over the pricing of translation services?
The Association does not control or supervise the rates for translation services in the market. However, the Association exchanges information with its members on the rates charged in the market.
27 – Does the Association supervise the quality of translation services in the market?
The Association has launched a project to formulate a set of quality standards for translation services. Once the project is completed, we will publish these quality standards on our website.
28 – Does the Association provide guidance to translation clients?
The only guidance we offer in this respect is that the members of the Association offer reliable and high quality translation services and, for that reason, you are recommended to check whether your translation provider is a member of our Association.
29 – What is a standard page of translation?
The page standard is a unit of measurement used for pricing, turnaround planning, evaluation and capacity assessment purposes. The Association has been working out a project on this matter and, once completed, the results will be placed on the Association’s website.
30 – Does the Association offer training in translation?
The Association does not offer such training, though it organises seminars, conferences and various other informative events on translation.
31 – Are there universities in Turkey, offering education in translation?
Yes, the Universities of Boğaziçi, Hacettepe, Yıldız Technical, Bilkent, Istanbul, İçel, Ege, Mugla and Okan in Turkey offer education in translation.
32 – Is it possible to receive education in translation at private education organisations?
Yes, it is. Education programmes in translation are offered from time to time.
33 – What is a high standard translation?
A high standard translation means translating a text, written in a domain of expertise, into another language in a manner to reflect the message, value and wording style of that text accurately
34 – How would a quality translator be defined?
A quality translator is one who translates a text, written in a domain of expertise, into another language in a manner to reflect the message, value and wording style of that text accurately.
35 – Do translation software translate texts automatically?
No, there is no available software designed to translate texts from/into Turkish automatically. Yet, there are projects going on for that purpose. Though used efficiently in certain areas, automatic translation software products offer poor quality output when it comes to translating complex and standard texts, such as legal and notary public documents. Even if automatic translation software can be developed, that does not require a human translator’s proofreading and assistance, their use will be limited to certain domains, such as weather reports.
36 – What sort of events does the Association hold?
The events that the Association has held to date include:
Organisation of Disaster Relief Interpretation (“DRI”) services. This project was planned after the Gölcük earthquake with a view to ensuring that our members and foreign language-speaking volunteers provide organised communications in the event of a disaster. Accordingly, a protocol, entitled 'Cooperation for Interpretation Services in Disaster Management', was signed with the Istanbul Governor’s Office (on March 21st, 2001) and implemented in coordination with the Civil Defence Directorate. (On October 18th, 2001, this project won one of the Success Awards given by the magazine “Kongre” every year.)
37 – Who are the Directors of the Translation Association?
Please see the Executive Bodies of the Association for details.
Hasan Anamur Başkan
Osman Kaya Başkan Yardımcısı
Beki Haleva Başkan Yardımcısı
Nazlı Korkut Genel Sekreter
Işın Bengi Üye
İlknur Birkandan Üye
Sinem Kanlıçay Sayman
38 – What should I do to have a seat at the Association’s executive table?
You must be a member of the Association; develop projects for the Association; play an active role in the Association’s projects; attend the Association’s meetings regularly; collaborate with other members of the Association; convince other members of the Association to vote for you as a candidate, and get the required number of votes at executive seat elections.