ITI v IOL Thread poster: Neil Greenough (X)
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Neil Greenough (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:40
Spanish to English
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I work full-time at present in a non-linguistic role but I'm looking to also work part-time as a translator. I have carried out quite a bit of research into the benefits of both the Institute of Translation and Interpretation and also the Chartered Institute of Linguists and I'm unsure as to which one would be the most beneficial to join. Likewise, which Institute do most agencies acknowledge? I would only be joining as an associate at this stage due to the crossroads I am at in my career path.<... See more I work full-time at present in a non-linguistic role but I'm looking to also work part-time as a translator. I have carried out quite a bit of research into the benefits of both the Institute of Translation and Interpretation and also the Chartered Institute of Linguists and I'm unsure as to which one would be the most beneficial to join. Likewise, which Institute do most agencies acknowledge? I would only be joining as an associate at this stage due to the crossroads I am at in my career path.
Many thanks
[Edited at 2010-11-04 09:32 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Colin Ryan (X) 
Local time: 15:40
Italian to English
+ ...
In my experience, the kind of agencies you're likely to find on Proz don't care what association you belong to, or whether you belong to an association, or whether you're qualified, or even, in many cases, whether you're any good as a translator. They just want to know if you can translate 20 pages of the dense legal document that they promised to have translated by yesterday, overnight, delivery at nine o'clock A.M. tomorrow, for 4 cent a word.
Sorry if that sounds a bit pessimist... See more In my experience, the kind of agencies you're likely to find on Proz don't care what association you belong to, or whether you belong to an association, or whether you're qualified, or even, in many cases, whether you're any good as a translator. They just want to know if you can translate 20 pages of the dense legal document that they promised to have translated by yesterday, overnight, delivery at nine o'clock A.M. tomorrow, for 4 cent a word.
Sorry if that sounds a bit pessimistic or jaundiced, but in my six years or so of translating full-time I have never heard of a colleague's employment prospects being affected one whit by their membership of anything, even the Masons. In fact, I would be extremely interested to hear about it if anyone's experience is different. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Karen Stokes
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:40
Member (2003)
French to English
Hi Neil,
I wouldn't see it as an either/or decision. When I started out I joined both as an associate, upgraded to full membership later and have stayed with both, though I'm more active in one than the other. As you'll have found out, CIoL is a broader church, with linguists in education and business, the professions and government as well as translators and interpreters (though the translating division is the largest of the four); ITI has a more specialised focus. I've met great c... See more Hi Neil,
I wouldn't see it as an either/or decision. When I started out I joined both as an associate, upgraded to full membership later and have stayed with both, though I'm more active in one than the other. As you'll have found out, CIoL is a broader church, with linguists in education and business, the professions and government as well as translators and interpreters (though the translating division is the largest of the four); ITI has a more specialised focus. I've met great colleagues, attended good events and got lots of really valuable information from both organisations. The two organisations also work together on some projects, the Chartered Linguist scheme being the main example.
Maybe join both and see which suits you best if you don't want to stay with two? ▲ Collapse
| | | | Evans (X)
Local time: 14:40
Spanish to English
+ ...
| value in membership of the ITI | Nov 4, 2010 |
I can't comment on the IOL as I have never been a member, but I would encourage any translator working in the UK to become a member of the ITI. I have been a member almost since the origanisation was set up, as I had been translating for several years prior to that. I find the language groups an invaluable source of linguistic and social interaction; the e-groups in French, Spanish and Portuguese, and the subject groups are very active. ITI events and CPD opportunities are also very interesting ... See more I can't comment on the IOL as I have never been a member, but I would encourage any translator working in the UK to become a member of the ITI. I have been a member almost since the origanisation was set up, as I had been translating for several years prior to that. I find the language groups an invaluable source of linguistic and social interaction; the e-groups in French, Spanish and Portuguese, and the subject groups are very active. ITI events and CPD opportunities are also very interesting and useful.
Unlike Ryancolm I find my membership pays for itself in the job opportunities that being a member of the ITI brings me. Outsourcers contact me for jobs in my specialisations through my directory entry in the ITI's website. These are nearly always serious clients willing to pay proper rates.
As a former outsourcer myself, running a translation agency, I always felt qualified membership of the ITI guaranteed a level of translation capabiliity that was fairly reliable too, when I was considering a translator for a project.
I am also a member of the Translators Association, but to join that you have to have translated at least one book, or be in possession of a contract to do so, so it may not be appropriate for you at present. But it is also a valuable organisation to join.
HTH ▲ Collapse
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Angela Dickson (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:40
French to English
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ryancolm wrote:
In my experience, the kind of agencies you're likely to find on Proz don't care what association you belong to, or whether you belong to an association, or whether you're qualified, or even, in many cases, whether you're any good as a translator. They just want to know if you can translate 20 pages of the dense legal document that they promised to have translated by yesterday, overnight, delivery at nine o'clock A.M. tomorrow, for 4 cent a word.
Sorry if that sounds a bit pessimistic or jaundiced, but in my six years or so of translating full-time I have never heard of a colleague's employment prospects being affected one whit by their membership of anything, even the Masons. In fact, I would be extremely interested to hear about it if anyone's experience is different.
I'd be interested to hear what exactly your experience has been - which organisation did you join?
If any translator limits him/herself to agencies that trawl on Proz, they are indeed likely to find that ITI/IoL membership is not useful. The world of translation is, however, somewhat bigger than that.
I am a full member of both organisations and have found the ITI the more useful. It is properly focused towards translators and interpreters and its membership requirements are rigorous enough that MITI status is a well-respected mark of ability. I find that I get enquiries from good-quality clients through the main ITI directory, and particularly from the directory of the specialist network of which I'm a member. There are some decent small and medium-sized translation companies/agencies that only use MITIs for translation work.
MCIL status is rather easier to obtain than MITI status.
I think the IoL is likely to be more useful to those who live in/near London than it is for me - the ITI has active regional groups in the UK, as well as specialist networks, whereas the IoL only has a presence in a few regions and most events take place in London. As Karen says, it has a broader focus than the ITI, which is both a strength and a weakness, in my view.
I'd recommend joining the ITI, or joining both, but not joining the IoL only, because you would be missing out on a great deal without the ITI.
[Edited at 2010-11-04 19:47 GMT]
| | | | Sonia Hill
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:40
Italian to English
| Really useful information | Nov 4, 2010 |
Angela Dickson wrote:
I am a full member of both organisations and have found the ITI much more useful. It is properly focused towards translators and interpreters and its membership requirements are rigorous enough that MITI status is a well-respected mark of ability. I find that I get enquiries from good-quality clients through the main ITI directory, and particularly from the directory of the specialist network of which I'm a member. There are some decent small and medium-sized translation companies/agencies that only use MITIs for translation work.
MCIL status is rather easier to obtain than MITI status.
I think the IoL is likely to be more useful to those who live in/near London than it is for me - the ITI has active regional groups in the UK, as well as specialist networks, whereas the IoL only has a presence in a few regions and most events take place in London. As Karen says, it has a broader focus than the ITI, which is both a strength and a weakness, in my view.
I'd recommend joining the ITI, or joining both, but not joining the IoL only, because you would be missing out on a great deal without the ITI.
I have been pondering this matter for some time too, so much so that I was thinking of asking the same question on here. You answer is very helpful Angela and has convinced me to proceed with my ITI application at some point in the near future. Thank you
| | | | Neil Greenough (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:40
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Folks many thanks for the quick reponses and your comments. They are much appreciated. Pending further comments, I think I may look to become an associate of the ITI in the first instance and look to then become and associate of the CoIL in 6-9 months time
| | | | Colin Ryan (X)
Local time: 15:40
Italian to English
+ ...
| I'm a member of neither... | Nov 4, 2010 |
Angela: I've joined neither organization, although I am certified in my primary language pair by the IoL. So, I am now in the embarrassing position of having to admit that I know not of which I speak.
As I said in my first post on this thread, I am interested to know that other peers have found decent work opportunities through the ITI/IoL. I'm now thinking of joining one of them. Or both. My first book translation has just been published, so I might join the Translation Associatio... See more Angela: I've joined neither organization, although I am certified in my primary language pair by the IoL. So, I am now in the embarrassing position of having to admit that I know not of which I speak.
As I said in my first post on this thread, I am interested to know that other peers have found decent work opportunities through the ITI/IoL. I'm now thinking of joining one of them. Or both. My first book translation has just been published, so I might join the Translation Association. (If they accept small-press publications, that is.) ▲ Collapse
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Fahd Hassanein
Türkiye
Local time: 16:40
Member (2009)
English to Arabic
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| ITI Certification Exam! | Nov 25, 2010 |
Thank you very much Karen, Gilla and Angela for the valuable information. I am positive that professional accreditation and membership are a plus to any translators from either organization although your input has highlighted some good points.
What I wanted to ask here is: I am aware that both organizations accept membership of non-UK based translators and I already know the steps needed to get the IOL's DipTrans and other certifications. However, I was unable to find any informatio... See more Thank you very much Karen, Gilla and Angela for the valuable information. I am positive that professional accreditation and membership are a plus to any translators from either organization although your input has highlighted some good points.
What I wanted to ask here is: I am aware that both organizations accept membership of non-UK based translators and I already know the steps needed to get the IOL's DipTrans and other certifications. However, I was unable to find any information on the ITI's examination that is needed for some members to get the MITI. Could anyone please provide me with any information or a link if any to what is needed for the ITI examination and how to sit for it?
Thank you very much in advance,
Fahd ▲ Collapse
| | | | Louisa Berry
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:40
Member (2009)
German to English
| Dependant on cost... call them | Nov 25, 2010 |
I had a nice long chat with the membership department of the ITI recently, I'm sure they would be happy to help, if it's not too expensive for you to call them.
Louisa
| | | | Fahd Hassanein
Türkiye
Local time: 16:40
Member (2009)
English to Arabic
+ ...
| Thanks Louisa! | Nov 26, 2010 |
Thanks Louisa,
The cost is no problem. I mean the call's cost is nothing compared to the membership's. Looking at the other older posts, I noted that I had missed a discussion on this very point which had some great input again and some pretty hands-on experiences by Angela Dickson which I guess may be very helpful in the process. After going through the processes described in the ITI's PDF files on membership types ... See more Thanks Louisa,
The cost is no problem. I mean the call's cost is nothing compared to the membership's. Looking at the other older posts, I noted that I had missed a discussion on this very point which had some great input again and some pretty hands-on experiences by Angela Dickson which I guess may be very helpful in the process. After going through the processes described in the ITI's PDF files on membership types and requirements, it seems to me that the guys prefer very much that newcomers start at the associateship and then climb the ladder but I would still appreciate any feedback from Angela.
Thanks again Louisa.
Fahd
[Edited at 2010-11-26 00:49 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Fahd Hassanein
Türkiye
Local time: 16:40
Member (2009)
English to Arabic
+ ...
| Thanks Louisa! | Nov 26, 2010 |
Thanks Louisa,
The cost is no problem. I mean the call's cost is nothing compared to the membership's. Looking at the other older posts, I noted that I had missed a discussion on this very point which had quite some great input again and some pretty hands-on experiences by Angela Dickson which I guess may be very helpful in the process. After going through the processes described in the ITI's PDF files on membership ... See more Thanks Louisa,
The cost is no problem. I mean the call's cost is nothing compared to the membership's. Looking at the other older posts, I noted that I had missed a discussion on this very point which had quite some great input again and some pretty hands-on experiences by Angela Dickson which I guess may be very helpful in the process. After going through the processes described in the ITI's PDF files on membership types and requirements, it seems to me that the guys prefer very much that newcomers start at the associateship and then climb the ladder but I would still appreciate any feedback from Angela.
Thanks again Louisa.
Fahd ▲ Collapse
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