The Translators Association of China (TAC) was founded in 1982. As the only national association in the field of translation in China, it functions both as an academic society and a trade association.

TAC aims to unite with and organize translators and interpreters, and people devoted to the promotion of the profession, from all sectors of society throughout the country, conduct research in translation and interpretation and academic exchanges, train a large contingent of translators and interpreters, improve the self-discipline and regulation of the translation industry, protect the legitimate rights and interests of translators and interpreters, and facilitate exchanges and cooperation with its counterparts both at home and abroad.

Made up of institutions, enterprises, associations and individuals engaged in translation, interpretation, localization and terminology, TAC has group, institutional/corporate and individual members across the country and beyond.

Organizational Structure

Services Provided by TAC

• Conferences and forums. TAC and its committees host a series of conferences and forums in different subjet fields to members and the industry in general. These conferences and forums have become important platforms for information exchange, cooperation and strategic planning for the respective field.

• Commendations and awards. To honor and reward outstanding performance by both veteran and young professionals, TAC commends senior translators and interpreters through its committees and group members each year. It has also run the annual Han Suyin Award for Young Translators for 20 years.

• Standards and certification. TAC has worked with the nation’s standardization authorities to publish three national standards on translation and interpretation services and text quality. Certification and quality assessment based on these standards are under plan.

• Training and professional development. TAC has run a number of training sessions to provide systematic training to university teachers of translation and intepretation. TAC is also responsible for the continuing education of the CATTI certificate holders and the reregistration of their certicates.

• International communication. TAC is a member of the International Federation of Translators, and has established friendly relations with many national and international organizations and have tried in recent years to organize delegations to attend international events of interest. As one of the founder members of the "FIT Asian Translators' Forum," TAC hosted the first (1995) and the fourth (2004) sessions of the Forum.

• The Journal. The bimonthly Chinese Translators Journal, founded in 1980, is highly respected for its pursuit of academic excellence.

• The website. TAC runs a website （www.tac-online.org.cn）with both Chinese (since 2000) and English (since 2009) versions.

Membership Categories

There are three membership types which are further divided into sub-types:

1. Group member. Legally registered translators societies and associations at provincial or city levels can apply for this type of membership. The minimum membership due for this type of membership is RMB1000 per year.

2. Institutional/corporate member. Educational institutions, publishing houses, translation and localization businesses, tools developers, clients of translation services and other organizations can apply for this type of membership. The minimum membership due for this type of membership is RMB3000 per year.

3. Individual member. This type of membership is further divided into five sub-types:

3.1 Senior member. Only those veteran translators who have been commended and granted the title of “Senior Translator” by TAC are eligible for this honorary membership. No membership due is required.

3.2 Advanced member. Those with the professional title of associate finalizing translator and above or those who have proven experience in or outstanding contribution to the academic or professional fields of translation can apply for this type of membership. Membership due for this type of membership is RMB180 per year.

3.3 Member. Translators, interpreters, terminologists and other practitioners of the translation sector as well as users of translation service can apply for this type of membership. Membership due for this type of membership is RMB180 per year.

3.4 Overseas member. Members of any FIT member associations outside of China can apply for this type of membership. Membership due for this type of membership is USD 100 per year.

3.5 Student members. University students with an interest in the translation profession and excellent performance in foreign language or translation subjects can apply for this type of membership. Membership due for this type of membership is RMB 50 yuan per year.