Offering your interpretation services in the official languages
Official Languages interpretation accreditation exam
Public Services and Procurement Canada’s Translation Bureau will hold its interpretation accreditation exam in Official Languages (English and French) on Friday, October 11, 2024. Candidates are required to pass this exam in order to provide Official Language interpretation services on behalf of the Translation Bureau.
The exam will be held online using the VidCruiter platform. To take the exam, please send an email with the subject heading “Official Languages Accreditation Exam 2024” including your resume to tpsgc.btaccreditationlo-tbolaccreditation.pwgsc@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca. Your resume must include your A language and your professional domicile, and demonstrate that you meet the eligibility criteria. The deadline to send your email of interest is Wednesday, September 25, 2024.
Although international applicants are welcome, please note that you must be in Canada and authorized to work in Canada to provide interpretation services to the Translation Bureau.
A virtual, bilingual information session on the accreditation exam and working as a conference interpreter for the Translation Bureau will be held on Saturday, September 21, 2024 at 1 p.m. (Eastern Time). To register, please send an email to tpsgc.btaccreditationlo-tbolaccreditation.pwgsc@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca.
To offer the Translation Bureau your interpretation services in the official languages as a self-employed individual, freelancer or firm, you must:
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.
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. 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 of Canada or call 1‑800‑282‑1376.
1. Meet the eligibility criteria
You must be eligible to work in Canada and ensure that you meet 1 of the following eligibility criteria:
- have a university degree in conference interpretation
- have a university degree and have completed at least 20 days of official languages (English/French) conference interpretation (as distinct from community or court interpretation) within the past 2 years
- have at least 2 years’ experience in a conference interpreter position in a recognized organization, such as Canadian legislatures, the European Union, the United Nations (UN), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Parliament
- be a member of the International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC)
- be certified as a conference interpreter by the Ordre des traducteurs, terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec (OTTIAQ) or by a provincial or territorial association affiliated with the Canadian Translators, Terminologists and Interpreters Council (CTTIC)
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 at tpsgc.btaccreditationlo-tbolaccreditation.pwgsc@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca 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.
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 have successfully passed the accreditation exam, 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 9 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:
- 1‑800‑959‑5525 for service in English
- 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 BN and your PBN, complete and submit the registration form for the Translation Bureau’s directory of linguistic services suppliers online.
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.
For more information, contact the Translation Bureau Procurement centre.
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