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Instructions for students who want to take the Translation Practice Exam as part of the Graduate Certificate in Translation program offered by Harpur College of Arts and Sciences Translation Research and Instruction Program. The exam is meant to demonstrate the ability to translate at a professional level. how to prepare for the exam, how to arrange it, and how to take it.
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Harpur College of Arts and Sciences Translation Research and Instruction Program PO Box 6000 Binghamton, New York 13902 - 6000 607 - 777 - 6556
Preparing for the Exam: Translation Practice exams must receive a high grade, an A-, because the Graduate Certificate in Translation is meant to demonstrate recipients’ ability to translate at a professional level. TRIP encourages students to take advantage of practice opportunities well in advance of the exam date to prepare. Ask the faculty member giving you your exam for practice materials and suggestions. Arranging the Exam: Begin the process of scheduling the practice exam early in the semester (typically the Spring semester) by requesting a faculty member of your choice to serve as your examiner. In general, you should select a faculty member based on your shared first language (e.g. native speakers of Arabic would select a faculty member who is a native speaker of Arabic). Confirm the source text language with the faculty member and let them know whether the exam will be in a literary or non-literary text. You may contact the TRIP Coordinator to request a list of faculty for your language pair. Next, inform the TRIP Coordinator of your examiner. The TRIP Coordinator will work with your faculty examiner to ensure your exam content is provided to the University Testing Center by the designated week for the exam (typically early April). Exams will be proctored by the University Testing Center. Follow this link to schedule your practice exam during the designated week for a three hour time block. The testing center requires a minimum of 48 hours advance notice to schedule the exam, so be sure to plan ahead. Once you open the link, for “Choose a group,” select “Translation Research and Instruction Program (TRIP).” Then, for “Choose an exam,” select “TRIP Certificate in Translation Practice Exam.” Taking the Exam: The literary or non-literary text to be translated, as chosen by your examiner, will be provided to you at the time of the exam. You are expected to translate the piece provided by your examiner in its entirety at a high quality. The length will be appropriate for the three-hour exam. You are responsible for being able to type your translation on the University Testing Center computer. If you have not already learned how to type on an English language keyboard and will be translating into a language other than English, you must practice in the Testing Center in advance to prepare. No alternative arrangements may be made. This skill must be learned. You have three hours (maximum) to complete the translation from source text into the target text. If you do not stop translating at the end of three hours and submit your translation, you will fail the exam.
Two dictionaries are permitted; however, only one of the two dictionaries may be an online dictionary. Online translation tools, such as Google Translate, may not be used. The Testing Center records the online source used during the exam. In the event of a remotely proctored exam: Have your two dictionaries ready, and prepare to have a two-device set-up, so you join the Zoom meeting on your phone or tablet and your laptop. The second device will face you as you sit and work at your laptop. The only files open on your computer should be the ones allowed for your exam. You need to use a simple word processing software to type your exam. If you are a Windows user, you must use Word Pad for this exam. Windows computers with Microsoft Office have Word Pad as a built-in accessory. Save your file as either rich text or Word (.doc or .docx). If you are a Mac user, you must use Text Edit for typing your translation. If you use Text Edit, the file must be saved as a pdf, which is the only way it can be opened on Windows computers. After the Exam: The Testing Center returns completed exams to the TRIP Coordinator, who shares them with faculty examiners, along with a copy of the Translation Practice Exam Grade Sheet. Exams are generally graded within a two-week time frame. To pass, translations must receive an A- or higher on the exam. Those who do not earn this score can retake the exam. The grade is calculated as follows: 80% for accuracy (faithfulness to the source text, precision) and 20% for fluency (readability; coherence; raising no questions for the reader). A single error of meaning will result in a failed exam.