I am a member of AITI: what’s this?

(based on information from AITI’s official website, www.aiti.org )

AITI is an Italian association of professional translators and interpreters. In fact it’s the oldest (founded in 1950) and the one with the highest number of members (over 1100). AITI is a founding member of the Fédération Internationale des Traducteurs (FIT). FIT is a non-governmental organisation formed by over a hundred national Associations of translators, interpreters and terminologists, representing more than 80.000 translators in 55 Countries around the world.

AITI is included in two official lists:

• list of the professional Associations that issue the quality certificate based on the Italian law 4/2013 of the Ministry for Economic Development;

• list of national representative Associations for unregulated professions of the Ministry of Justice (based on the decree that has implemented in Italy the Professional Qualifications Directive 2005/36/CE).

For this reason, the Association accepts only qualified professionals. In order to join, you need to prove at least 24 months’ relevant experience, as well as to pass an exam that simulates a real-life working environment.

I have a degree in law and I practised as a lawyer for some time, before becoming a translator. I only work in legal translation (attested by the AITI) as the subject is huge in itself and requires constant training and development. AITI issues an annual certificate to qualified members, confirming the relevant requirements and the quality and professional qualification standards, and compliance with the code of ethics and conduct. It also confirms that the member holds appropriate third-party liability insurance and a UNI 11591:2015 certification, if this is the case.

I am UNI 11591:2015 certified: what’s this?

Besides being a qualified member of AITI, I am certified in accordance with the UNI 11591:2015 “Non-regulated professions – Qualified professionals operating in the field of translation and interpreting”. The standard describes the knowledge, skill and competence requirements in conformity to the European recommendations.

The AITI document is a second-party certificate, issued by an association comprising the same professionals who receive it. The certificate of conformity to the UNI standard, on the other hand, is a third-party document, issued by an independent organization. UNI is accredited in accordance with the ISO/IEC 17024 standard for bodies operating certification of persons with the accreditation body (in Italy, ACCREDIA).

To learn more on the characteristics and value of a professional translator, this LinkedIn article by a fellow translator gives a few very helpful tips: il-valore-aggiunto-di-un-traduttore-professionista-nadia-tampieri

This post is part of the Translator’s life category: Have a look for more!

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