Over the past seven decades, it has translated numerous documents of the Party and the state and excellent Chinese classics. It has also organized the China Accreditation Test for Translators and Interpreters and held translation-themed forums, competitions, and trainings. It heads the Translators Association of China, and has been leading the development of the translation field in China.
The CATTI is a state-level vocational qualification examination entrusted to CIPG by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of the People’s Republic of China for the test’s implementation and administration. Included in the list of vocational qualifications of China’s State Council, the CATTI is the most authoritative translation and interpretation proficiency accreditation test, which has been implemented throughout the country according to uniform standards and in compliance with the national system of professional qualification certificates. It is designed to assess the proficiency and competence of candidate translators and interpreters.
The CATTI was launched to strengthen the management of the translation field, standardize the translation job market, improve the capabilities of translators and interpreters, and scientifically, objectively, and impartially evaluate the levels and abilities of translation professionals. It aims to further align the Chinese translation field with international standards, and provide excellent and qualified translators and interpreters for exchange and cooperation between China and other countries in such sectors as politics, economics, culture, and education.
The Translators Association of China and the International Federation of Translators co-hosted the 18th World Congress of the International Federation of Translators in Shanghai in 2008.
As the official journal of the Translators Association of China, Chinese Translators Journal is one of the most authoritative journals of the highest academic level in China’s translation field.
On Dec. 22, 2021, the Joint Committee of the Asia-Pacific Translation and Interpreting Forum (APTIF) and the Translators Association of China jointly convened the committee's annual working conference via video link and launched the inaugural issue of the APTIF Bulletin. Targeted at translation associations, schools and practitioners in the Asia-Pacific region, the journal seeks to further leverage the role of the APTIF Joint Committee as a platform for exchanges and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific translation community and beyond, facilitate communication and collaboration between translation organizations and practitioners, and promote regional cooperation and development.
The Han Suyin International Translation Contest was initiated in 1989 by the Translators Association of China and the editorial office of the Chinese Translators Journal under the sponsorship of renowned Chinese-British writer Han Suyin. The contest involves translation between Chinese and five foreign languages — English, French, Russian, Spanish and Arabic. The participants come from across China including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, as well as such countries and regions as the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Argentina, Egypt, France and Singapore. For more than 30 years, the contest has inspired countless young people to study translation, and produced many standout translators who have served as the backbone of their chosen fields.
CICG works to build a national high-end base for training application-oriented translation personnel, offer high-quality continuing education programs for practitioners of translation and cross-language and cross-cultural communication, and establish a core curriculum and a national collaborative system for training foreign language and translation professionals.
Since its inception in 1997, the Training of Trainers for Translation and Interpreting program has attracted over 8,000 participants. Attendees include teachers of foreign languages and translation at higher-education institutions from China's 29 provincial-level regions, plus Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, as well as such countries as the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, Singapore and Thailand. The program has become the largest, longest-running and most comprehensive training activity for translation and interpreting trainers in the country.