Educated and informed translators

The Association of Translation Companies of Slovakia (Asociácia prekladatelských spolocností Slovenska, ATCSK) is an organisation of professional providers of translation and interpreting services. Even though it is a Slovakian association, it was founded in Dublin, Ireland, in 2006.

The mission of this translators association is primarily to unite translation companies operating in Slovakia and be their representative in negotiations with both domestic and foreign institutions and organisations. Since October 2007, ATCSK is a member of EUATC, the European Union of Associations of Translation Companies, which provides members with prestigious representation at international level.

ATCSK has its base in Nitra, where it hosts the extensively called project “Computer-aided translation development of professional competence of graduates for the labour market”.

The Slovak translation association has established a thorough list of objectives, that includes the desire to promote interaction and cooperation between members and to encourage their promotion in the Slovak Republic or to get professionals and the general public actively involved in the enhancement of the level of translation services in Slovakia, alongside professional organisations concerning translation and educational institutions.

ATCSK also wishes to contribute towards the advancement of a list of applicable guidelines for translation services providers. The Slovak organisation is committed to represent and defend the interests of members both internally and externally in relation to public authorities and other social organisations.

One of the association’s missions is to help young professionals and those studying for it. For that purpose, ATCSK wants to get involved in the promotion of internships with exchange of young translators and interpreters. It also wishes to organise training courses for beginners in the field, as well as recycling courses and similar activities which promote and improve the general and the technical knowledge, therefore increasing the quality of translation companies and individuals in the field of translation and interpretation.

Other than this, the Slovak translators association has the intention of conducting market research programmes on the availability of literature concerning translation and interpreting, including dictionaries and auxiliary materials. Furthermore, it wishes to get involved in the production and development of these materials, by gathering expertise and other information on the field.

As far as professional conduct is concerned, ATCSK wants to promote and support the implementation of a good business practice, develop a standard of honour and regulations that the professions will hopefully adopt. In the future, these will be necessary to maintain the high standards which should be the sole purpose of translators and interpreters.

According to the association’s code of ethics, the first obligation of any member is “to be educated and informed”, thus the importance of being alert as to educational opportunities and news concerning translation and interpreting. Another rule is that members of the organisation are required to avoid disputes with each other. The ATCSK says “these disputes could hinder and bring a bad influence to the profession.

Members of this translators association are also obliged to keep absolute confidentiality about all information acquired, as well as to be impartial, while maintaining loyalty to the client and to other members of ATCSK. It is imperative that all members of the organisation carry on business under the best of their knowledge and ability, without prejudice, in order to obtain the highest possible translation quality levels.

Members of ATCSK commit to respecting deadlines, “faithfully and accurately”. They use all available materials, such as dictionaries or manuals, as well as the resources available on the internet, in order to achieve as close a final version of the document as possible. Only the assignments that match the member’s skills will be accepted. The adoption of a contract assumes the obligation to provide professional services, properly and on time. Prior to accepting an assignment, the translator / interpreter must analyse the difficulty of the subject and refuse it in case it does not meet his / her qualifications.

To become a member of ATCSK, you must send the following documents to the translators association’s address, in Nitra: a completed and signed application form with the correct data, a document that proves that the applicant meets the conditions of the association, a certificate of incorporation with less than a month, confirmation from the tax office that there are no tax arrears, an extract from the criminal records of the company’s directors and shareholders.

Keep in mind that Slovak is an Indo-European language that belongs to the West Slavic languages. It is the official language of Slovakia, where it is spoken by 5 million people. There are also Slovak speakers in emigrant communities in the United States, the Czech Republic and the rest of Europe.

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