A directory profile
Your language pairs, document specialties and live status on a page clients and search engines can find. Order is never paid.
The experience pathway
For working translators: a status your clients can verify
IBCOT membership is reviewed, not bought. For a working translator it adds a verifiable professional status, a directory profile clients can find, and the path to the IBCOT Certified Official Document Translator credential.
What membership gives a working translator
The CODT credential path
The IBCOT certification examination is a separate purchase ($195 per attempt). Only passing the examination confers the credential.
Public verification
Anyone can check your membership and credential status at ibcot.org/verify. A link clients trust.
The experience pathway and what it accepts
Admission asks for one piece of evidence of translation, interpreting, legal-support, or language-service work. There is no portfolio, no translation test, and no years-of-experience threshold.
- A LinkedIn profile or professional website
- A resume excerpt or an employer attestation
- An association membership
- A redacted work record or other evidence of language-service work
Dues
One membership. Everything on the path to certification.
$395per year, the same at every renewal
The certification examination is a separate, optional purchase: $195 for one attempt; retakes $129.
- Get found by clients. A directory profile, ranked by published rules, never by payment. (Professional Members)
- Learn the standards. The IBCOT Official Document Translation Training Program, about 10–15 hours, self-paced, included.
- Show your standing. Member ID, member card and member badge.
- Practice resources, AI and technology education, and the Partner Marketplace.
Admission in three steps
Apply
A short application and one piece of evidence for your pathway.
Reviewed by people
Applications are reviewed by people, typically within one business day.
Begin
On approval, dues are charged and your membership, orientation and training open.
Questions
What does membership do for my practice?
Membership gives you a reviewed professional status, a directory profile clients can find (Professional Members), and the included training program. The certification examination is a separate, optional purchase.
Can I list the credential on LinkedIn and in my email signature?
Certified members may use the CODT designation and badge as set out in the Truthful Credential Claims and Badge Usage Policy. Members who are not certified may describe themselves only as IBCOT Professional Members.
How does the directory decide who appears first?
Certified members appear first, then Professional Members. Order within each group rotates evenly. Placement is never paid. How ranking works
Does membership make me a certified translator?
No. Professional Membership is admitted after an eligibility review and a successful dues charge. The IBCOT Certified Official Document Translator credential is a separate status, earned only by passing the IBCOT certification examination while a member in good standing.
How do I check whether someone is certified?
Enter their Member ID or credential ID on the verification page. The result shows the current status, the issue date, and the member-declared languages. Cite the verification page, not a copy of a certificate.
Membership
Apply for membership
Applications are reviewed by people. A payment method is saved with your application and charged only if you're approved.