CertTrans or DipTrans? Which CIOL translation qualification do you actually need?
If you are considering a career as a professional Translator, you have likely come across two key qualifications awarded by the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL) - the Certificate in Translation (CertTrans) and the Diploma in Translation (DipTrans).
Both are respected, Ofqual-regulated credentials, but they are aimed at very different stages of your career.
The Short Answer…
| CertTrans | DipTrans | |
|---|---|---|
| Level | 6 (degree level) | 7 (master's level) |
| Approximate pass rate | 80 to 86% | 25 to 30% |
| Guided learning hours | 80 | 460 |
| Our course fee | £599 | £699 |
| Units to pass | 2 of 3 | 3 of 3 |
If you want a recognised, Ofqual-regulated qualification that proves you can work professionally as a Translator, the CertTrans does that job, and roughly four in five candidates pass it. The DipTrans is a master's-level qualification with a pass rate closer to one in four, and it asks for more than five times the study hours.
The thing most people do not realise
For over thirty years the DipTrans was the only translation qualification the CIOL offered. If you wanted a CIOL translation qualification, you took the DipTrans, because there was nothing else. That is no longer true. The CIOL launched the Certificate in Translation (CertTrans) as a Level 6, degree-level qualification, and it is a full qualification in its own right rather than a consolation prize. A great many people still arrive at the DipTrans because they assume it is the only route. Some of them are ready for it. Many are not, and they attempt a master's-level exam with a 25 to 30% pass rate when a degree-level exam with an 80 to 86% pass rate would have met their career goal and cost them a fraction of the study time.
What the CertTrans is
The CIOL Qualifications Level 6 Certificate in Translation is a degree-level qualification that provides evidence of practical, working-level translation skills. It is regulated by Ofqual and it carries the post-nominals CertTrans.
It has three units. You take Unit 01 (General Translation Skills), which is compulsory, then one of Unit 02 (Business and Commercial) or Unit 03 (Government and Public Service). Two units, not three.
It is designed for early-career translation skills, for Translators adding a language to their portfolio, and for anyone who needs to prove to a translation company or an international organisation that they can do the work.
What the DipTrans is
The CIOL Qualifications Level 7 Diploma in Translation is set at master's level and has been the premier translation qualification for over thirty years. It is taken in around thirty countries a year and carries the post-nominals DipTrans.
It has three units, and you need all three. Unit 01 is a general text, Unit 02 is a semi-specialised text in Technology, Business or Literature, and Unit 03 is a semi-specialised text in Science, Social Science, Law, or Arts and Culture.
It is the right qualification if you specifically need master's-level recognition, if your target clients or employers ask for it by name, or if you already work at that level and want it validated.
Which one should you take?
Take the CertTrans if you want to work professionally as a Translator, you are early in your career, you are adding a language, you need a qualification within a realistic timeframe, or you want the best chance of passing first time.
Take the DipTrans if a client, employer or professional body has specifically asked for master's-level translation, or you have substantial experience and want the highest available qualification.
Take the CertTrans first, then the DipTrans if you eventually want the DipTrans but are not certain you are ready. The CIOL itself describes the CertTrans as a stepping stone to the DipTrans. Passing the CertTrans gives you a usable qualification now, plus a realistic assessment of where your translation stands before you commit 460 hours to the harder exam.
One thing to check before you decide: Both exams are offered in a set list of language pairs, and both lists may change from session to session. In most language pairs, both are available. Occasionally a pair is offered for one and not the other, so check the current lists before you commit to the exam: CIOL CertTrans page and CIOL DipTrans page. Our courses are available in all language pairs.
How we prepare you for either exam
Our CertTrans Course is £599 and covers 20 modules, 8 expert-marked Translation Practices with detailed feedback, a LanguagePartner™ Mentor Session and 175+ resources, in all language pairs, with 12 months' access.
Our DipTrans Course is £699 and prepares you for all three units.
Both are available in any language pair, all year round, and you can start immediately. The CIOL exam fee is paid separately, direct to the CIOL.
Still not sure? Read What Course Should You Study? or contact us and we will talk it through with you.
