| Company type | Professional association |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1976 |
| Services | Representing Translation Companies |
| Website | https://atc.org.uk |
The Association of Translation Companies (ATC) is a professional membership association promoting language services in the United Kingdom and beyond. It represents the interests of translation companies operating in the UK's language services industry, which is home to over 1,200 translation companies, is worth more than £1 billion and employs more than 12,000 people. [1]
ATC is governed by a volunteer council, elected from its member companies, and is led by a chief executive officer.
The ATC's objectives are to:
The Association of Translation Companies was formed in 1976 by leading British translation companies to promote the use of professionally produced translation work, and to support UK exporters.
It has played a role in the development of European language services, and was a driving force behind the establishment of the European Union of Associations of Translation Companies. It was one of the original developers of the European translation services standard EN 15038, a precursor to the international translation services standard ISO 17100.
Membership is available to established companies able to provide full accounts of the previous three trading years. A minimum of 65% of the company's core business must be the provision of translation services.
Membership of the ATC as a Supported Start-up is available to start-up Language Service Provider businesses that have been trading for over six months who are able to provide the supporting documents in the ATC's Eligibility and Criteria section.
Membership is available to translation departments within companies whose core business may be in any sector.
Accredited Partner status is available to those companies who are stakeholders in the translation industry, for example office furniture suppliers.
Technology Partner status is available to those companies supplying hardware or software specifically tailored to the translation business.
The ATC organises regular networking and training events and webinars, and hosts an annual conference, the Language Industry Summit. The association publishes an annual Language Industry Survey, in collaboration with market research firm Nimdzi Insights, [2] charting the state of the language services industry in the UK.
The ATC speaks with authority on the economic case of languages for the future of the UK's international trade and exporting and supports several research activities and government lobbying initiatives.
Full ATC member companies have the use of the ATC Certification Stamp, which may be used to certify official translations such as certificates. The stamp carries the member's name, membership number, the current year, and the stamp line “The mark of quality-managed translation service”.
The ATC's commercial ISO Certification Service provides auditing and certification services and training on language service and quality management ISO standards to ATC members and translation companies around the world.