Saudi Arabia-Certified Translator Programme: Impact on Translation Competence and Employability

Abstract

There is growing scholarly interest in the influence of translation certification on translation competence and the translation profession. The current study investigated certified translators’ perceptions of how the Saudi Arabia-Certified Translators Programme (SACTP) enhanced their translation competence and influenced their employability as well as the improvements deemed necessary. The study recruited 74 translators certified by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission (LPTC) of Saudi Arabia. A questionnaire was employed for data collection, and qualitative and quantitative analytical methods were applied. The findings revealed that respondents generally perceived the SACTP as moderately enhancing their translation competence. Overall, respondents perceived a moderate impact of the SACTP on their employability. Additionally, the findings provided insights into recommended improvements, such as incorporating more practical sessions or mock translation/certification test samples, integrating CAT and AI tools into the exam to replicate industry practices, introducing additional language pairs and certification types, launching collaborations with translation agencies and mandating certification for government translation projects to increase the credibility and value of LPTC certification. The study recommends launching pre-certification initiative, such as paid certification test samples and post-certification initiatives to equip certified translators with the knowledge and competences required to compete effectively in the translation market, such as professional self-marketing, translation project management and translation technologies. The study also identifies areas for future research, including investigating translation agencies’ perspectives on the LPTC certified translator programme and examining how the programme influences the translation market in Saudi Arabia.