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Do interpreters have to hold a specific professional qualification in order to work?

No, but a bachelor's degree is often required by many employers. Interpreters can earn bachelor's degrees in linguistics, interpretation, Chinese, or a relative subject matter.

Some employers also prefer to hire interpreters with several years' experience, which may be formal or informal, gained through volunteer activities with humanitarian organizations or tourist guide companies.

Is there a separate national association of interpreters? Does this association have official status?

Not necessarily, although the Ministry of Personnel of the People's Republic of China introduced a test in 2003 know as The China Accreditation Test for Translators and Interpreters (CATTI), which is considered the most authoritative national level translation and interpretation proficiency qualification accreditation test in the country. This is the highest regarded authoritative body in China in regards to interpretation and translation.

A very interesting overview of the development of conference interpreting in mainland China - https://aiic.net/page/365/conference-interpreting-in-mainland-china/lang/1

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The translation market in Brazil is growing. This can be attributed to the recent large scale sporting events along with Brazil's increasing importance in global markets.

Do interpreters have to hold a specific professional qualification in order to work?

No, the profession is not regulated. It is not necessary to have a professional qualification and many people work as freelancers (around 99%). It is common to find interpreters/translators who only have degrees related to the areas in which they act rather than having studying interpreting ie. Doctors performing medical interpretation.

Is there a separate national association of interpreters? Does this association have official status?

There is no single official national association however there are a number of wide-scale associations such as SINTRA and ABRATES.

http://www.sintra.org.br/site/index.php

http://abrates.com.br/about-us/?lang=en

Are there published guidelines for those who use interpreters? (courts, police, etc.)

No, we cannot locate guidelines for those who use interpreters or norms of practise for legal procedures. However we did find that ABRATES offers guidance for the interpreter regarding their rights.

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Canada                                                                                                                                                                       No, you can work as an interpreter without a specific qualification, but there is a certification which is run by the CTIC. To become certified you first need to have a degree in translation/ interpreting and one year full-time professional experience, or four years full-time professional experience, and then you need to pass an exam. You do need to be certified to work in court. A degree in translation or law is sometime required (depending on the province). To be a freelance court interpreter tests and training must be carried out. However for community interpreters no qualifications are necessary.                                                                                                                                                            Yes, there is the Canadian Translators, Terminologists and Interpreters Council (CTIC), which has 3,500 members and promotes professional standards. It does not hold official status, but says it is “generally recognised as the national body” representing language professionals. It comprises 11 separate associations, as professional organisation in Canada falls under provincial jurisdiction. There is a separate body, The Association of Visual Language Interpreters of Canada, which is specifically for interpreters whose working language includes a sign language. Only members who have completed the CES process including tests and workshops can call themselves a Sign-English certified interpreter.   

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Canada                                                                                                                                                                       No, you can work as an interpreter without a specific qualification, but there is a certification which is run by the CTIC. To become certified you first need to have a degree in translation/ interpreting and one year full-time professional experience, or four years full-time professional experience, and then you need to pass an exam. You do need to be certified to work in court. A degree in translation or law is sometime required (depending on the province). To be a freelance court interpreter tests and training must be carried out. However for community interpreters no qualifications are necessary.                                                                                                                                                            Yes, there is the Canadian Translators, Terminologists and Interpreters Council (CTIC), which has 3,500 members and promotes professional standards. It does not hold official status, but says it is “generally recognised as the national body” representing language professionals. It comprises 11 separate associations, as professional organisation in Canada falls under provincial jurisdiction. There is a separate body, The Association of Visual Language Interpreters of Canada, which is specifically for interpreters whose working language includes a sign language. Only members who have completed the CES process including tests and workshops can call themselves a Sign-English certified interpreter.   

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Do interpreters have to hold a specific professional qualification in order to work?

Russian interpreters have to have a wide breath of experience and specialism and only translate into their mother tongue. These qualifications can be achieved at most higher education institutes in the Russian Federation; the most prestigious institutions being MGU, MGIMO and STU.

Official Russian Federation interpreters (used in foreign affairs, the UN etc.) undergo a strict vetting process by specialised intelligence services.

Is there a separate national association of interpreters? Does this association have official status?

The official national association of interpreters is UTR (Union of Translators Russia -Союз Переводчиков России)

The organisation does hold official status

There are also several unofficial companies that offer interpreting services in: Moscow, St. Petersburg and Ekaterinburg

http://www.translators-union.ru/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=3

Are there published guidelines for those who use interpreters? (courts, police, etc.)

These guidelines are included in the training of official interpreters, private on the other hand seem to not have them.

When economics are discussed, Russian delegates despite being experts on the subject, tend to ignore the Russian interpretation of them as there are often no suitable Russian equivalents for them.

Of course, this is not the case when delicate political issues are discussed.

Only Belarus and Russia hold Russian as the official language. Other former Soviet Republics e.g. Ukraine often prefer to use English

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No, you can work as an interpreter without a specific qualification, but there is a certification which is run by the CTIC. To become certified you first need to have a degree in translation/ interpreting and one year full-time professional experience, or four years full-time professional experience, and then you need to pass an exam. You do need to be certified to work in court.

Yes, there is the Canadian Translators, Terminologists and Interpreters Council (CTIC), which has 3,500 members and promotes professional standards. It does not hold official status, but says it is “generally recognised as the national body” representing language professionals. It comprises 11 separate associations, as professional organisation in Canada falls under provincial jurisdiction. There is a separate body, The Association of Visual Language Interpreters of Canada, which is specifically for interpreters whose working language includes a sign language.

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Do interpreters have to hold a specific professional qualification in order to work?

Is there a separate national association of interpreters? Does this association have official status?
Yes, several and the biggest is the AATI - Argentine Association of Translators and Interpreters - which is a member of the International Federation of Translators (IFT).

Are there published guidelines for those who use interpreters?

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1. Do interpreters have to hold a specific professional qualification in order to work?

Not necessary, but further education in interpreting is recommended for example in the form of a Masters degree, as it helps people to require the necessary skills to succeed in this chosen career. Esit and Isit have been mentioned on French websites as being particularly renowned and very competitive for people who wish to become professional interpreters (both liaison and conference) - not sure if they do both or if one specialises in the other. There is also mention of an EMCI (European Masters in Conference interpreting, but this appears to be more of a European equivalent, as opposed to being specifically for France.

The sole official qualification for interpreting appears to be that of a traducteur jurée / assermenté (sworn/authorised translator), which is issued by the courts.

2. Is there a separate national association of interpreters? Does this association have official status?

There are different associations in France for interpreting such as Union nationale des Experts Traducteurs Interprètes près les Cours d’Appel and Association Française des Interprètes de Conférence Indépendants. This association is a member of the International Federation of Translators and most likely has the most official status. Interpreters are selected by a jury to work for the Cours d’Appel (Appellate Court). They must prove to the jury that they have been working for a minimum of 3 years and that their work is identical to original material. They are then considered a regional expert translator/interpreter.

3. Are there published guidelines for those who use interpreters?

In the French Courts of Appeal by the Ministry of Justice, sworn translators are used. Judges can choose anybody as the expert translator for civil proceedings or criminal investigations, dependent solely on the restrictions specified by the law or regulations (eg. They must not have any past convictions). Any person can be selected as an interpreter in criminal or civil proceedings as long as they take an oath before undertaking the required interpretation. However, judges generally prefer to use translators who are registered on the official list of experts.

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Do interpreters have to hold a specific professional qualification in order to work?

No. Chile has 'no examinations for certified or sworn translators'. Clients should instead look for membership of a respected professional association, such as COTICH (Colegio de Traductores e Intérpretes de Chile).  Nor does Chile have a 'system of certified translations or accredited translators'. As such, a 'certified translation' is one that includes a statement signed by the translator attesting to the accuracy and completeness of the work performed (certificate of accuracy).

Is there a separate national association of interpreters? Does this association have official status?

No. There are a great deal of freelance interpreting agencies in Santiago. The AIIC (International Association of Conference Interpreters) also has 12 members in Chile. Only the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile can produce 'official' translations. None the agencies have official status. However, their members adhere to a 'strict code of professional ethics' and 'by-laws'. They have rules and expectations of performance and integrity.

Are there published guidelines for those who use interpreters?

No, although the Foreign Office, more specifically the British Embassy/Consulate in Santiago recommend certain agencies.

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Do interpreters have to hold a specific professional qualification in order to work?

A degree is advised, but not compulsory. There are many degrees in Translation and Interpreting offered, however. The career lacks legal regulation beyond the status of "interprete jurado" qualification offered by the Ministerio de asuntos exteriores, which is needed for those who want to work in judicial or administrative bodies. To be eligible for this qualification the interpreter must be an EU or EEA national. The autonomous communities can also offer interpreters "jurado" (sworn) status.

Is there a separate national association of interpreters? Does this association have official status?

There are several interpreter's associations in Spain, such as AICE, ASOCESP, RITAP (public service), and Asetrad. Asetrad appears to have official status, as a member of the International Federation of Translators.

Are there published guidelines for those who use interpreters?

Courts: The employer is strongly encouraged to hire "un interprete Jurado" to do official judicial or administrative work. a "fast-track" procedure in which an interpreter may practice without this qualification in extraordinary circumstances. APTIJ also provides guidelines for court interpreters.

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Do interpreters have to hold a specific professional qualification in order to work?

No, they normally just need to hold a qualification of at least a Masters level degree in interpreting.

There is a recognised European masters in conference interpreting (EMCI) offered at several different universities both inside and outside of Europe which is recognised in Belgium.

Is there a separate national association of interpreters? Does this association have official status?

There is a Belgian Chamber of Translators and Interpreters (CBTI) which recognises and endorses members to work in Belgium. It encourages the maintenance of high standards of interpreting and it has links to many other interpreting bodies in Europe, such as the International federation of translators. It is an official organisation but it is a not-for-profit organisation. Anyone who is a qualified interpreter can join the association. You don’t have to be a sworn translator or interpreter to belong to this association.

Are there published guidelines for those who use interpreters? (courts, police, etc.)

To work as an interpreter in an official (eg. in the courts, etc.)  capacity you must be a sworn translator. Examinations are provided by CBTI in order to qualify for sworn translator status. There is a list of sworn interpreters drawn up by the courts but in order to work as an interpreter in other capacities there is no need to be a sworn interpreter. As yet, there is no national system of qualification of registration - each court and police department have developed their own regulations procedures. Candidates will often have to submit evidence certifying their language proficiency but there are no official published guidelines.

There are EU guidelines on finding legal interpreters (https://e-justice.europa.eu/content_find_a_legal_translator_or_an_interpreter-116-fr.do) but no specific guidelines published by the Belgian government or institutions.

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Do interpreters have to hold a specific professional qualification in order to work?
No, there doesn't appear to be one specific qualification such as the DPSI.

Is there a separate national association of interpreters? Does this association have official status?
INTERPRET - Association Suisse pour l’interprétation Communautaire et la Médiation Culturelle. This the only national association that is just for interpreters (there are others which include translators, for example), but there does not appear to be any association with official status - INTERPRET is an independent association.

Are there published guidelines for those who use interpreters?
Yes, we found guidelines for hospitals, law courts