How to Join

To become a member of Cymdeithas Cyfieithwyr Cymru, be that as a Full Member or Basic Member for translators or as an Interpreting Member, applicants must have passed one its examinations or interpreting test.

The current membership fee for all members is £150 except for those Basic Members in the first 3 years of their membership who pay £140.

Full Membership corresponds to a wholly professional membership where the translator is deemed to require no supervision. He or she is expected to translate fluently and accurately, to write in a variety of styles and register as required and be able to handle abstract or technical language. He or she is also expected to possess a clear understanding of the cultural background of both languages.

Once he or she has completed and revised his or her translations, there should be no need for any editing or correcting. We suggest that a translator with three years full time experience, or with equivalent part-time experience, should apply for Full Membership. Candidates do not have to be Basic Members in order to sit the Full Membership examination.

This is the basic professional level for those translating a range of general subjects and, on occasions, more specialised work. The standard should correspond to that of a translator at the onset of his/her career and having worked under supervision of and experienced translator for at least a year.

He or she is expected to be able to translate general reading material with few problems and should possess a general understanding of the cultural background of both languages.

Interpreting Membership corresponds to that of a wholly professional membership and indicates that the member can interpret fluently and accurately from Welsh into English and/or from English into Welsh in situations ranging from the highly formal to the most informal. He or she is expected to have a clear understanding of the cultural background of both languages.

Before applying to take the Interpreting Membership Test, we recommend interpreters have at least 200 hours worth experience of interpreting. As the work circumstances of interpreters differ and interpreting demands vary, we do not recommend a specific period in which this should be achieved. An interpreter who is working regularly in meetings could reach this number of hours in a few months; but it could take longer for someone who does not interpret as often or where there is less demand for interpreting at the meetings attended. Before applying for Interpreting Membership individuals should feel confident in their ability to interpret.

Membership of Cymdeithas Cyfieithwyr Cymru is recognised by a growing number of organisations as the benchmark of an individual's ability to translate/interpret. Membership of Cymdeithas Cyfieithwyr Cymru is not a qualification as such, however it is a recognition of a translator/interpreter's professionalism and the objective for all translators/interpreters.

In recruiting translators/interpreters, a number of organisations require candidates to be members of Cymdeithas Cyfieithwyr Cymru or be willing to work towards that membership. In the same way a great number of those commissioning translation/interpreting services prefer to use members of professional bodies such as Cymdeithas Cyfieithwyr Cymru.