ATA ATA Specialized Translation Domains

Question 1

Which terminology resources are most commonly used as references in medical translation into English?

Accepted Answer

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) from the National Library of Medicine and other peer-reviewed medical resources

Answer

The ATA Medical Division's proprietary glossary

Answer

The Oxford English Dictionary exclusively

Answer

The WHO International Classification of Diseases is the only acceptable reference

Question 2

What is a 'sworn translation' and in which countries is it commonly required?

Accepted Answer

A sworn translation is one officially certified by a government-authorized or court-appointed translator, required in many civil law countries

Answer

A sworn translation is any translation certified by the ATA

Answer

A sworn translation is a translation accompanied by a translator's affidavit used only in the US

Answer

A sworn translation is a translation reviewed by at least two ATA-certified translators

Question 3

In legal translation, what is the significance of maintaining formal equivalence in contract translation?

Accepted Answer

Legal contracts must convey precise obligations and rights; terms must be rendered with their correct legal function, not just their surface meaning

Answer

Formal equivalence is always the wrong approach in legal translation

Answer

Formal equivalence means translating each word individually without considering context

Answer

Formal equivalence is required only for court-filed documents

Question 4

What challenge arises when translating legal documents between legal systems based on different legal traditions?

Accepted Answer

Concepts that exist in one legal system may have no direct equivalent in the other, requiring functional description or explanatory translation

Answer

No significant challenges exist because legal terminology is universal

Answer

The translator must qualify as a licensed attorney in both jurisdictions

Answer

Legal translation between different legal traditions is prohibited by ATA rules

Question 5

Why must financial translators understand the accounting standards applicable to both the source and target markets?

Accepted Answer

Because financial terminology and reporting concepts differ between standards such as IFRS and US GAAP, and mistranslation can create serious misunderstandings for investors and regulators

Answer

Because accounting standards determine the translator's billing rate

Answer

Because financial documents require ATA certification to translate

Answer

Because financial translation is only done in-house by bank employees

Question 6

What does patent translation require beyond general technical translation skills?

Accepted Answer

Patent translators need both technical domain knowledge and familiarity with patent claim language conventions, which follow highly formalized structures

Answer

Patent translation requires only legal translation skills, not technical knowledge

Answer

Patent translation is restricted to translators with engineering degrees

Answer

Patent translation does not require any special skills beyond bilingual fluency