It is my great honor and pleasure to serve you as the Chinese Language Division (CLD) Administrator of the American Translators Association (ATA) for the next two years. I would like to extend my warmest greetings to all of my fellow Chinese translators and interpreters, whether or not you are an ATA member.
ATA, founded in 1959, is the largest professional association of translators and interpreters in the U.S. with over 10,000 members in more than 103 countries. ATA’s mission is to advance the translation and interpreting professions and foster the professional development of individual translators and interpreters (like you and me). ATA provides professional development opportunities throughout the year online (webinars) and in-person (conferences).
ATA is also a certifying body of translators. Currently, it is offering translation certifications in many languages and directions, including English-into-Chinese and Chinese-into-English. If you are interested in becoming certified, please review the certification page for details. If you have any questions regarding the certification exams, please read the FAQ page or contact ATA directly: certification@atanet.org.
CLD is one of the twenty-two ATA divisions, which are professional-interest communities that provide members with specialty- and language-specific resources and networking opportunities (such as law, medicine, interpreting, etc.). We on the CLD Leadership Council are here to make CLD the home for ATA members who are Chinese translators and interpreters. We provide the following benefits and forums for our members to connect:
- Online platforms open to the public:
- CLD website,
- Yifeng (译风) blog,
- The Chinese Language Division podcast,
- WeChat group (“ATA CLD Friends”),
- WeChat Official Account (“ATA 中文分会”),
- Facebook page,
- listserv,
- Podcast
- Member-only online platforms:
- ATA Headquarters email broadcast
- WeChat group (“ATA CLD Members”)
- Events: CLD Happy Hour (open), CLD Cafe (webinars and panel discussions, member-only), and CLD dinner during the ATA annual conference
(Please refer to our website for links to the online platforms. We will announce events on the website as well as those platforms as they become available.)
We also welcome non-ATA members to utilize our open resources to fulfill your needs and connect with us. Remember, you don’t have to be ATA-certified to join ATA!
If you are currently an ATA member, please be sure to join CLD officially through your ATA account. Also, did you know that you may be qualified to become an ATA voting member? By going through a simple review process, you too can make your voice heard by the ATA Board and during the ATA Annual Meeting of Voting Members and Election!
Last but not least, I wouldn’t be able to support you properly without the teamwork from Rony Gao, CLD’s Assistant Administrator, and all the other Leadership Council members. We are all volunteers, passionate about our community and profession. If you are interested in volunteering 10 to 30 hours a year to become more involved in CLD and get to know some of our smart and friendly colleagues, please reach us at divisionCLD@atanet.org.
Thank you for your interest and support. Cheers to a greater year ahead of us!
Yours sincerely,
Liming Pals
CLD Administrator (2024 – 2026)
