Public Services and Procurement Canada's Translation Bureau is committed to delivering high-quality interpretation services that uphold Canada's linguistic duality and reflect the expectations of Canadians.
Accreditation: A cornerstone of the Translation Bureau's commitment to quality
The Translation Bureau relies exclusively on accredited interpreters to meet the interpretation needs of Parliament. For over 30 years, we have been using our rigorous, internally administered accreditation exam to ensure that only professionals meeting rigorous standards serve Canada's parliamentarians. This exam sets a high standard: since 2022, only 22 external candidates out of 194 have been accredited, a passing rate of just 11%. While this passing rate reflects the level of skill required to meet Parliament's interpretation needs, we are actively exploring ways to improve the process without compromising standards or quality, which is non-negotiable.
The most recent exam, held in November 2025, was based on the same exacting evaluation criteria as previous years; expectations for performance and quality remained unchanged. The only change was that, as part of our commitment to continuous improvement and inspired by best practices, we invited independent experts from the high-level conference interpretation community to provide an external perspective on the evaluations.
This new approach allowed us to gather diverse insights from recognized professionals, enhance transparency in the process and identify opportunities for improvement. The final pass-or-fail decision, determining whether candidates are accredited, was, and will always remain, the responsibility of the Translation Bureau.
We will continue seeking to improve our practices in order to better fulfill the needs of our clients.
Performance and capacity: Key statistics for 2025
Our results illustrate the scale and support the importance of our work:
- a dedicated team of 60 parliamentary interpreters who cater to approximately 60% of Parliament's interpretation needs, while the rest is handled by private-sector suppliers called upon as required
- 12,000 hours of official languages interpretation delivered for parliamentary and committee meetings, plus major events such as the G7 Summit
- incidents related to sound exposure have decreased by 60% compared to 2020, thanks to enhanced protective measures for interpreter health and safety
Strengthening the Translation Bureau's capacity to deliver
The Translation Bureau recognizes that interpretation capacity has been a growing concern, and we have taken concrete steps to address it. We have been:
- creating partnerships with universities for interpretation programs
- teaching university courses for interpretation students
- providing internships and learning opportunities
- awarding scholarships
- holding workshops for external candidates in preparation for the accreditation exam
- collaborating with stakeholders from the Canadian language industry on initiatives to promote the interpreting profession
In addition to this external work, we provide in-house coaching and training for our new interpreter employees as part of a structured, two-year program.
In collaboration with stakeholders in Canada and abroad, the Translation Bureau will carry on its efforts to address the shortage and support the next generation of interpreters.
