A discussion about translation services, translators, and translation software

I received a comment from someone wanting to know how to become a "certified" translator.  A good question merits a precise and helpful reply.  Without any desire to offend, I give this precise answer; to become a certified translator, get someone to give you a certificate.  Now for the helpful part.

I've seen a lot of clients asking for certified translators because some government office told them they had to present a certified translation.  This is an unfortunate confusion.  Very few government offices keep a list of translators they consider "certified."  What they mean when they ask for a certified translation is that they want the translator -- any translator -- to certify that the translation is correct.