The Asian Regional Centre of the International Federation of Translators (FIT Asia) convened the fourth instalment of its Global Online Lecture Series on 20 September 2026, drawing over 2,000 virtual participants comprising practising translators and interpreters, academics, researchers, and students from across Asia and worldwide.

Moderated by Professor Defeng Li, FIT Asia Board Member and Distinguished Professor of Translation Studies at the University of Macau, the webinar featured a keynote address delivered by Dr. Hasuria Che Omar, President of the Malaysian Translators Association (MTA) and FIT Council Member. Her presentation, entitled The Malaysian Translator Certification System: A Journey of Passion and Purpose, chronicled decades-long industry efforts to advance professional recognition for translators in Malaysia.

Dr. Hasuria outlined the collaborative development of the national translator certification framework by MTA together with university research teams. The initiative incorporated internationalbench-marking, broad-based stakeholder engagement, and rigorous validation testing through phased standard-setting, framework construction, and pilot implementation. Candidates complete a 3.5-hour formal assessment; successful applicants are entered onto MTA's official register of certified translators. Credentials are valid for three years, subject to renewal via continuing professional development.

The keynote emphasised that national certification constitutes a long-term investment in professional credibility, rather than a mere response to market demand. Against the expanding adoption of AI-assisted translation, Dr. Hasuria advocated iterative updates to professional evaluation criteria instead of resistance to technological change. She expressed hope that Malaysia's practical experience would offer actionable insights for peer associations in Asia developing comparable domestic certification schemes.

Streamed live on YouTube, Bilibili and WeChat, the event included an interactive Q&A session addressing AI-adapted competency evaluation, multi-sector consensus-building, implementation hurdles, and regional good-practice.

Since its launch, FIT Asia's Global Online Lecture Series has featured four sessions covering topics including AI-era translation practice, sustainable language-enterprise development, literary translation, and translator certification. More online lectures are planned for the future as FIT Asia continues the series.