{"id":1431,"date":"2025-05-15T13:20:19","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T17:20:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/?p=1431"},"modified":"2025-05-15T13:20:19","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T17:20:19","slug":"reviewing-ata-profiles-choosing-the-right-legal-translator-or-interpreter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/reviewing-ata-profiles-choosing-the-right-legal-translator-or-interpreter\/","title":{"rendered":"Reviewing ATA Profiles: Choosing the Right Legal Translator or Interpreter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"\" data-start=\"313\" data-end=\"631\">Legal projects that involve more than one language often require more than just linguistic accuracy\u2014they also demand familiarity with legal systems, specialized terminology, and professional standards. Selecting the <strong>right translator or interpreter with legal expertise<\/strong> is an important step toward ensuring clear and accurate communication.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"633\" data-end=\"945\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atanet.org\/directory\/\"><strong data-start=\"637\" data-end=\"689\">American Translators Association (ATA) Directory<\/strong><\/a> offers access to a wide range of qualified translators and interpreters. On our <strong data-start=\"770\" data-end=\"794\">Law Division website<\/strong>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/find-a-legal-professional\/\"><strong data-start=\"800\" data-end=\"822\">\u201cFind a Legal T&amp;I\u201d<\/strong><\/a> section provides step-by-step guidance on how to search the directory specifically for professionals with legal expertise.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"947\" data-end=\"1201\">Once you&#8217;ve used that guidance to generate search results, the next step is to <strong>evaluate individual profiles to identify the best fit for your legal project.<\/strong> This guide highlights what to look for\u2014using the exact section titles from the ATA profile and starting with the most important elements to help you assess whether a professional is a good fit for your legal needs.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"\" data-start=\"463\" data-end=\"466\" \/>\n<h4><b>1\ufe0f\u20e3 Core Project Criteria<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These are the most essential elements to ensure the professional is a match for your specific legal needs. We recommend reviewing them first:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Areas of Specialization:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> This section shows the legal fields the professional works in (e.g., contracts, litigation, immigration law).<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \ud83d\udd39 <\/span><b>TIP:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Prioritize professionals whose specialties closely match the subject of your project.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong data-start=\"117\" data-end=\"135\">Language Pairs: <\/strong>Verify that the professional works in the source and target languages required for your project.<br data-start=\"234\" data-end=\"237\" data-is-only-node=\"\" \/>\ud83d\udd39 <strong>TIP:<\/strong> It\u2019s often a good practice to work with someone who is a native speaker of the target language\u2014or who has substantial experience using the target language professionally, such as living or working in a country where it is spoken.<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1853\" data-end=\"2146\"><strong>Translating Service:<\/strong> Check whether the professional offers <strong data-start=\"1917\" data-end=\"1932\">translation<\/strong>, <strong data-start=\"1934\" data-end=\"1952\">interpretation<\/strong>, or both\u2014depending on what your project requires.<br data-start=\"2002\" data-end=\"2005\" \/>\ud83d\udd39 <strong>TIP:<\/strong> Not sure of the difference? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atanet.org\/client-assistance\/translator-vs-interpreter\/\"><strong>Here\u2019s a quick guide from ATA<\/strong><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr class=\"\" data-start=\"463\" data-end=\"466\" \/>\n<h4><b>2\ufe0f\u20e3 Professional Credentials and Affiliations<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>These profile sections highlight qualifications and ongoing professional engagement:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>ATA Certification:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> A <\/span><b>star icon<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> appears on the profile if the professional is certified in your selected language pair. Certification adds an extra layer of quality assurance. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/ata\/ata-certification\/\"><b>Click here to learn more about ATA Certification<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>ATA Divisions:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Review what ATA divisions the professional belongs to.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \ud83d\udd39 <\/span><b>TIP:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Look for professionals who are members of the <\/span><b>Law Division<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the <\/span><b>language-specific divisions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> relevant to your project. This often indicates commitment to specialized training and staying current in the field.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr class=\"\" data-start=\"463\" data-end=\"466\" \/>\n<h4><b>3\ufe0f\u20e3 Additional Information<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>These sections offer further context and may help round out your decision:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Professional Description:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Most profiles include a summary of services, approach, and areas of expertise.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Years in Business:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Useful for understanding how long the professional has been active in the field.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Education Level and Background:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Many profiles include degrees or specialized training.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Location:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Helpful if you&#8217;re seeking a provider within a specific region or time zone.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Translating Tools:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> See if the professional works with specific tools or software relevant to your needs.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>External Links:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Some profiles link to <\/span><b>websites<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>LinkedIn<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or portfolios for you to explore their work further.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Legal projects that involve more than one language often require more than just linguistic accuracy\u2014they also demand familiarity with legal systems, specialized terminology, and professional standards. Selecting the right translator or interpreter with legal expertise is an important step toward ensuring clear and accurate communication. The American Translators Association (ATA) Directory offers access to a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1438,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"content-sidebar","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[274],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1431","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-client-guide-legal-ti-experts","8":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/LawD-Blog-28.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1431"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1431\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1447,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1431\/revisions\/1447"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}