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

Medical translators rely on authoritative resources such as NLM's MeSH, clinical guidelines, peer-reviewed journals, and pharmacopoeias to ensure terminological accuracy.

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

Sworn translation is a legal institution in many civil law countries where authorized translators are appointed by courts or government to certify official document translations.

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

In legal translation, precision is paramount -- terms must be rendered with their correct legal function because imprecise translation can change the legal meaning and enforceability of a contract.

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

Common law and civil law concepts often do not correspond directly; translators must find functional equivalents or descriptive translations rather than false cognates that sound equivalent but have different legal meanings.

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

Different accounting standards (IFRS vs. US GAAP) use different terminology and concepts; a translator must understand both to render financial reports accurately and meaningfully.

ATA - American Translators Association Practice Test

ATA - American Translators Association Practice Test

ATA ATA Specialized Translation Domains