Translators Association of China

About TAC

Translators Association of China (TAC) was founded in 1982. As the only national association for the T&I (translation and interpreting) community and the language service industry in China, it functions both as an academic society and a trade association. It has group, institutional & corporate members as well as individual members.

TAC aims to protect the rights and interests of translators and interpreters as well as people engaged in the language service industry, uphold the quality of translation and interpreting, and facilitate understanding and cooperation among all stakeholders of the language industry.

Services Provided by TAC

Conferences and forums. TAC and its committees host a series of conferences and forums in different subjet fields to members and the industry in general. These conferences and forums have become important platforms for information exchange, cooperation and strategic planning for the respective field.

Commendations and awards. To honor and reward outstanding performance by both veteran and young professionals, TAC commends senior translators and interpreters through its committees and group members each year. It has also run the annual Han Suyin Award for Young Translators since 1986, and All-China Interpreting Contest since 2010.

Standards and specificiations. TAC has worked with the nation's standardization authorities to publish three national standards on translation and interpretation services and text quality. It has also published a series of specificiations to guide industry practice.

Training and professional development. TAC has been offering translation trainings to university teachers since 1997, and it joined hands with the National Committee for MTI Education in 2010 to launch a TOT summer program targeted at teachers of BTI and MTI programs. TAC has also launched the Language Service Competence Assessment and Training (LSCAT) program which aims to establish a platform for providing training and services to professionals in the language service industry. TAC is also responsible for the continuing education of the CATTI certificate holders and the reregistration of their certicates.

International communication. TAC is one of the largest members of the International Federation of Translators (the FIT), and has established friendly relations with many national and international organizations. In 2008, TAC organized the 18th FIT World Congress in Shanghai, which attracted more then 1400 participants from over 70 countries and regions. As one of the founder members of the Asia-Pacific Translation and Interpreting Forum (formerly called " Asian Translators' Forum"), TAC hosted the first (1995) and the fourth (2004) sessions of the Forum.

The Journal. The bimonthly Chinese Translators Journal, founded in 1980, is highly respected for its pursuit of academic excellence.

The website. TAC runs a website (www.tac-online.org.cn) with both Chinese (since 2000) and English (since 2009) versions.

Membership Categories

There are three membership types which are further divided into sub-types:

1. Group member. Legally registered translators societies and associations at provincial or city levels can apply for this type of membership. The minimum membership due for this type of membership is RMB1000 per year.

2. Institutional/corporate member. Educational institutions, publishing houses, translation and localization businesses, tools developers, clients of translation services and other organizations can apply for this type of membership. The minimum membership due for this type of membership is RMB1000 per year.

3. Individual member. This type of membership is further divided into four sub-types:

3.1 Senior member. Only those veteran translators who have been commended and granted the title of "Senior Translator" by TAC are eligible for this honorary membership. No membership due is required.

3.2 Advanced member. Those with the professional title of associate finalizing translator and above or those who have proven experience in or outstanding contribution to the academic or professional fields of translation can apply for this type of membership. Membership due for this type of membership is RMB180 per year.

3.3 Member. Translators, interpreters, terminologists and other practitioners of the translation sector as well as users of translation service can apply for this type of membership. Membership due for this type of membership is RMB180 per year.

(Members of any FIT member associations outside of China can apply for Member or Advanced member if she or he is accredited by his or her home association as authorized/sworn/certified member. Membership dues are the same with domestic members, but members residing in coutries outside of China will not receive a free copy of Chinese Translators Journal unless the member wishes to pay for international postage himself or herself.)

3.4 Student members. University students with an interest in the translation profession and excellent performance in foreign language or translation subjects can apply for this type of membership. Membership due for this type of membership is RMB 50 yuan per year.