These sanctions are authorized in the ATA Bylaws, Article III, Section 6.a.2 for conduct constituting: “Gross negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of professional services, or other unethical or unprofessional conduct based on demonstrable and serious violations of the ATA Code of Ethics and Professional Practice.”

Note: The ATA Board of Directors voted in 2022 to update the name of the code to the ATA Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility. All sanctions listed below that refer to the ATA Code of Ethics and Professional Practice took place prior to this vote.

According to the ATA Bylaws, Article III, Section 6.b. Disciplinary Actions, "All disciplinary actions are taken pursuant to procedures adopted by the Board from time to time, which procedures may be amended only by a two-thirds vote of the Board." The procedures are addressed on the Ethics Complaint Procedure.

Active Sanctions

Sanctioned members, and the tenets violated, but not the details comprising the violation(s) shall be identified by name for the period of the sanction. Once the sanction period expires, the name is removed.

  • Mihai Bledea (September 2022) was sanctioned for violation of the third tenet of ATA’s Code of Ethics and Professional Practice: “to represent our qualifications, capabilities, and responsibilities honestly and to work always within them.” The individual was suspended from being an ATA member until September 1, 2027, with reinstatement contingent upon presentation of verifiably accurate qualification materials justifying any claims to certification/accreditation/education listed on his ATA profile page and any other publicly available site.

 

  • Wagner Consulting, Ltd., New York, New York (December 15, 2020), also doing business as “Wagner Consulting International,” “Wagner Consulting LLC,” and “VIP Translators,” was sanctioned for violations of the third, sixth, seventh, and eighth tenets of ATA's Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics and was expelled from the Association. The company, its owners/officers, and any commercial successors, affiliates, or subsidiaries are banned from being an ATA member in perpetuity. The company, its owners/officers, and any commercial successors, affiliates, or subsidiaries are barred from using any ATA logos, references, or other intellectual property in perpetuity.
  • Able Translations Ltd., Mississauga, Ontario, Canada (May 2016) was sanctioned for multiple violations of the sixth tenet in ATA’s Code of Ethics and Professional Practice: “to define in advance by mutual agreement, and to abide by, the terms of all business transactions among ourselves and with others.” The company also violated the eighth tenet in ATA’s Code of Ethics and Professional Practice: “to endeavor in good faith to resolve among ourselves any dispute that arises from our professional interactions.” The company was suspended from being an ATA member until May 1, 2026.

Expired Sanctions

When the sanction period expires, the tenets violated remain but the member's name is removed.

  • An individual member (April 2021) was sanctioned for violation of the first tenet of ATA’s Code of Ethics and Professional Practice; “to convey meaning between people and cultures faithfully, accurately, and impartially”; the second tenet: “to hold in confidence any privileged and/or confidential information entrusted to us in the course of our work”; the third tenet: “to represent our qualifications, capabilities, and responsibilities honestly and to work always within them”; the sixth tenet: “to define in advance by mutual agreement, and to abide by, the terms of all business transactions among ourselves and with others”; and the eighth tenet: “to endeavor in good faith to resolve among ourselves any dispute that arises from our professional interactions”. The sanction was a public censure and deactivation of member's directory listing for one year.

 

  • An individual member (April 2019) was sanctioned for violations to the sixth and eighth tenets of ATA’s Code of Ethics and Professional Practice: “to define in advance by mutual agreement, and to abide by, the terms of all business transactions among ourselves and with others” and “to endeavor in good faith to resolve among ourselves any dispute that arises from our professional interactions” respectively. The sanctions were public censure for twelve months, suspension of membership for 12 months, and deactivation of member's directory listing for 12 months.

 

  • An individual member (July 2017) was censured privately for violation of the first tenet in ATA’s Code of Ethics and Professional Practice: “to convey meaning between people and cultures faithfully, accurately, and impartially”. The member was also required to complete an interpreter ethics program.

 

  • An individual member (January 2017) was sanctioned for violation of the third tenet of ATA’s Code of Ethics and Professional Practice, “to represent our qualifications, capabilities, and responsibilities honestly and to work always within them.” The member was publicly censured for a period of one year (until January 28, 2018) and the member's profile in the ATA online directory was deactivated for the same period.

 

  • A corporate member, (September 2016) was sanctioned for multiple violations of tenets three and five of the ATA Code of Ethics and Professional Practice (CEPP). The member was suspended from ATA membership for one year for violation of the fifth tenet and for five years for violation of the third tenet, such suspensions to run concurrently (until November 11, 2021).
  • An individual member (April 2021) was sanctioned for violation of the sixth tenet of ATA’s Code of Ethics and Professional Practice: “to define in advance by mutual agreement, and to abide by, the terms of all business transactions among ourselves and with others.” The sanction was a public censure for six months.

 

  • A corporate member (May 2016) was censured for violating the sixth tenet in ATA’s Code of Ethics and Professional Practice: “to define in advance by mutual agreement, and to abide by, the terms of all business transactions among ourselves and with others.” The member also violated the eighth tenet in ATA’s Code of Ethics and Professional Practice: “to endeavor in good faith to resolve among ourselves any dispute that arises from our professional interactions.”

 

  • An individual member (September 2015) was sanctioned for violating the third tenet in the American Translators Association Code of Ethics and Professional Practice: “to represent our qualifications, capabilities, and responsibilities honestly and to work always within them.” The member was suspended from being an ATA member until September 15, 2020.

 

  • An individual member (November 2011) was sanctioned for repeated violations of the sixth tenet in ATA’s Code of Ethics and Professional Practice: “to define in advance by mutual agreement, and to abide by, the terms of all business transactions among ourselves and with others.” The member was suspended from being an ATA member until January 1, 2018. This member had their previous sanction increased for violating the ban on holding ATA membership and was suspended from being an ATA member until January 1, 2023.

Code of Ethics
Read the full Code of Ethics, intended to inspire and guide the ethical conduct of all ATA members .

Ethics Complaint Procedure
Learn how complaints are handled and how to file a complaint against an ATA member

Submit a Complaint
Anyone may submit a complaint about an ATA member concerning alleged ethics violations.