Offering your interpretation services in Indigenous languages or foreign languages
From: Translation Bureau
Japanese-English, Russian-English and Ukrainian-English interpretation accreditation exams
Public Services and Procurement Canada’s Translation Bureau will hold interpretation accreditation exams in Japanese-English, Russian-English and Ukrainian-English in May 2024. Candidates are required to pass the accreditation exam in order to provide interpretation services on behalf of the Translation Bureau.
The exams will be held online using the VidCruiter platform. To take any of the exams, please send an email with the subject heading “2024 Accreditation Exam in [specify the language]” to tpsgc.btinterpretationletbinterpretationfl.pwgsc@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca. Your email must include the following:
- your professional address in Canada. You must be in Canada and authorized to work in Canada to provide interpretation services to the Translation Bureau
- your resume, demonstrating that you meet the eligibility criteria
- your language combination, identifying your A, B or C languages:
- A language: your native language (or another language strictly equivalent to a native language), into which you interpret from your other languages
- B language: a language other than your native language, in which you are perfectly fluent and into which you interpret from your A language
- C language: a language which you understand perfectly but into which you do not interpret. You only interpret from this language
- the interpretation exam(s) you wish to take:
- simultaneous interpretation (A into B, B into A – the exam is in both languages)
- Japanese-English
- Russian-English
- Ukrainian-English
- consecutive interpretation (A into B, B into A – the exam is in both languages)
- Japanese-English
- Russian-English
- Ukrainian-English
- simultaneous interpretation (A into B, B into A – the exam is in both languages)
The Japanese and Ukrainian exams will be held on May 13 and 14, 2024. The deadline to send your email of interest is April 26, 2024.
The Russian exam will be held on May 15 and 16, 2024. The deadline to send your email of interest is April 30, 2024.
To offer the Translation Bureau your interpretation services in Indigenous or foreign languages as a self-employed individual, freelancer or firm, you must follow the steps below:
- 1. Meet the eligibility criteria
- 2. Pass the Translation Bureau’s accreditation exam
- 3. Obtain your Canada Revenue Agency business number and your procurement business number
- 4. Apply for registration in the Translation Bureau’s directory of linguistic services suppliers
Security clearance
Suppliers themselves cannot request security clearance. They must be sponsored by a federal department. Only after they have passed the Translation Bureau’s accreditation exam or have been registered in its directory of suppliers can the Translation Bureau sponsor them if it finds that they need such clearance.
1. Meet the eligibility criteria
You must be eligible to work in Canada and ensure that you meet one of the following eligibility criteria:
- be a member of the International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC)
- provide evidence of at least two years’ experience as an interpreter in a recognized organization
- have a university degree in conference interpretation, as opposed to community or court interpretation
- have a university degree in a related discipline, with solid experience in conference interpretation
- provide evidence of one hundred days of conference interpretation in a supervised setting over the past three years
Note
If you are a firm, you must ensure that each proposed resource meets the eligibility criteria.
2. Pass the Translation Bureau’s accreditation exam
If you would like to write the accreditation exam, please email the Translation Bureau Procurement Centre at btrepertoire.tbdirectory@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca (please read our privacy notice statement below) and include your CV and the supporting documents demonstrating that you meet the eligibility criteria.
If upon review, your file is found to be complete and if you meet the eligibility criteria, the Translation Bureau will contact you to invite you to write the accreditation exam and inform you of upcoming exam dates.
Note
If you are offering your services as a firm, each candidate on your team must pass the accreditation exam.
3. Obtain your Canada Revenue Agency business number and your procurement business number
If you meet the eligibility criteria, you must obtain the following required numbers:
Canada Revenue Agency business number
The business number (BN) is a numbering system that streamlines the way businesses deal with the federal government. If you have a Goods and Services Tax (GST) number or a Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) number, you already have a business number. The first nine digits of your GST/HST number constitute your business number (such as 123456789RT0001). This number is required to obtain your procurement business number (PBN).
To obtain your BN, you have to complete form RC1 Request for a Business Number (Canada Revenue Agency).
For more information on the business number
- Registering your business (Canada Revenue Agency)
- Contact the Canada Revenue Agency at 1‑800‑959‑5525 (for service in English) or 1‑800‑959‑7775 (for service in French)
Procurement business number
To obtain a PBN, you must register with the Supplier Registration Information (SRI) system, a database of registered suppliers who want to do business with the federal government, or call 1‑800‑811‑1148 (and select option # 2 for assistance regarding the SRI).
4. Apply for registration in the Translation Bureau’s directory of linguistic services suppliers
After obtaining your business number (BN) and your procurement business number (PBN), complete and submit the registration form for the Translation Bureau’s directory of linguistic services suppliers online.
Note
Remember to attach the supporting documents required according to the services being offered. (Meet the eligibility criteria)
If you are offering your services as a firm, you must provide the name of and the supporting documents for each candidate on your team.
Related links
Information
Privacy notice
Provision of the personal information is collected on a voluntary basis pursuant to the Financial Administration Act. The information will be used by the Translation Bureau (Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC)) to identify potential individuals and firms to offer interpretation services. Refusal to provide personal information or missing information or supporting documents may result in the disqualification of individuals or firms from the bidding process. The personal information is described in the Standard Personal Information Bank Professional Services Contracts, PSU 912. Under the Privacy Act you have the right to access and correct your personal information, if erroneous or incomplete. Your personal information is protected, used, and disclosed in accordance with the Privacy Act. If you require clarification about this statement, you can contact the PSPC Privacy Director by email at aiprp.atip@pwgsc.gc.ca; by phone at 873‑469‑3721, or by regular mail at the following address: Privacy Director, 5C1, Portage, Phase III, Gatineau, Quebec Canada, K1A 0S5. For more general information on privacy issues and the Privacy Act, please visit the Privacy Commissioner web site or call 1‑800‑282‑1376.
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