CertTrans or DipTrans? Which CIOL translation qualification do you actually need?
Most people who ask us this question have already decided on the DipTrans. Usually they have decided without knowing there was anything else to decide.
For most of the last thirty years, the DipTrans was the only translation qualification the CIOL offered. If you wanted a CIOL translation qualification, you took the DipTrans, because nothing else existed. That is no longer the case. Since 2022, the CIOL has offered the Certificate in Translation (CertTrans) at Level 6, Degree-level, and it is a full Ofqual-regulated qualification in its own right, not a consolation prize.
A great many people still arrive at the DipTrans assuming it is the only route. Some of them are ready for it. Many are not, and they sit a Master's Degree-level exam with a pass rate of roughly one in four when a Degree-level exam that around four in five candidates pass would have met their career goal, in a fraction of the study time.
The Short Answer…
| CertTrans | DipTrans | |
|---|---|---|
| Level | 6 (Degree level) | 7 (Master's Degree 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. The DipTrans does a different job, at Master's degree level, and asks for more than five times the study hours to get there.
What the CertTrans is
The CIOL Qualifications Level 6 Certificate in Translation is a Degree-level qualification providing evidence of practical, working-level translation skills. It is regulated by Ofqual and 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 needing 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 Degree level and has been the premier translation qualification for over thirty years. It is taken internationally, in a large number of countries each 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 Degree-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.
So which one?
Start with the CertTrans unless you have a specific reason not to.
That is not a hedge, it’s sensible. The CertTrans gives you a usable, Ofqual-regulated qualification now, at Degree level, with 2 units instead of 3, and 80 guided learning hours instead of 460. If your goal is to work professionally as a Translator, to be taken seriously by agencies and international organisations, or to add a language pair to what you already offer, it does that.
Go straight to the DipTrans only if a client, employer or professional body has asked for Master's Degree-level translation by name, or if you already translate at that level and want it validated.
"But I want the DipTrans eventually"
Then the CertTrans is still the better first move, and it costs you very little to take it that way.
The CIOL itself describes the CertTrans as a stepping stone to the DipTrans. Passing it gives you a qualification you can use immediately, plus an honest assessment of where your translation actually stands before you commit 460 hours to a much harder exam. If you sit the DipTrans first and do not pass, you have neither.
We also give you £100 off the DipTrans course if you enrol within two months of completing the CertTrans with us. Get in touch when you finish and we will send you a code.
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 CIOL Exam pages, before you commit to the exam. 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.
