NAATI certification
NAATI certification is the credential issued by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters, Australia's government-owned standards body for the profession. Most Australian authorities require a NAATI certified translation for official documents, and the credential is issued per language direction on a three-year recertification cycle.
How it works
NAATI certifies translators and interpreters against national standards. A translator sits certification for a specific language and direction, and, once certified, can produce translations that carry their stamp, credential number and signature, the form Australian authorities accept. Certification is time-limited: translators recertify on a three-year cycle by showing ongoing work and professional development.
Certification is of the translator, not of any single document. It says this person is qualified to translate in this direction; the certified translation is what they then produce and attest to.
How SourceTarget uses it
Where a job needs a certified translation for an Australian authority, SourceTarget routes it to a NAATI certified translator for the required direction, and the delivered translation carries the translator's certification. Machine drafting has no place in the parts that must be attested by a credentialled human.
NAATI certification compared with Certified translation
| NAATI certification | Certified translation | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A credential held by a translator | A document a translator attests to |
| Issued or made by | NAATI, per language direction | The certified translator |
| Time element | Recertified every three years | Produced per job |
| Answers | Is this person qualified? | Is this translation attested as accurate? |