A recent conversation with a friend of mine gave me the idea of pursuing Spanish translation.  While I am lacking in the practice of speaking and listening to Spanish, my writing and translation abilities are still at a superior level.  So, I started looking for free-lance opportunities.  Of course, in my research, I also stumbled upon numerous translation certification programs.  Any of them would prove to be beneficial, I'm sure -- still, I don't know which would be the best for me.

The CTP or "Certified Translation Professional" designation appears to be the most professional to me.  I'm supposing I would be able to add CTP after my MS designation on a resumé.  It also requires the least amount of hoops to jump through and an actual program where one can prepare for the test prior to taking the test.

A second certification opportunity is through LCI or "Language Certification Institute".  They provide certification exclusively in Spanish and are a local company to the Pacific Northwest.  There are three options for certification with LCI - Basic, Secondary, or Business.  To be honest, I'm not sure I would pass the business level as I don't really know the vocabulary for legal, medical, interpreting, translating, and other business applications.  I suppose I could take the Secondary, but how would such a certification be viewed?  My other concern is that while there is no preparation materials, the exam looks very simplified with a multiple choice exam. I'm not sure if it's propaganda or fact, but the website also ascertains that it is the industry standard for certifications and is recognized nationwide.

Finally, there is the ATA or "American Translators Association".  This requires the most work and finances.  First they require you to be a member.  Then once you're a member, you can take their qualification exam.  Now, it's possible I could be a member of ATA without taking their certification exam. Now it is possible I could get certified in LCI or CTP and also be a member of ATA, but in looking at the ATA directory, I don't really see a spot where you could identify any other certification than ATA. 

At any rate, I do intend to get certified so I can better market myself as a virtual administrative assistant and translator in addition to providing free student financial aid advice.  My goal is to get certified before the end of this month or within the next four months.  I know with CTP, I can't test until May.  Eventually, I will create a separate page to list myself as a virtual administrative assistant and translator (English/Spanish of course).