In recent years, we in the Certification Program have repeatedly emphasized the value of the practice test as a way to prepare for the certification exam and gauge one鈥檚 prospects of success. This has fallen on receptive ears, as the volume of practice tests ordered and completed has increased steadily over the past five years. Still, too many candidates register for the exam without taking this straightforward step and are then dismayed because the exam was not at all what they were expecting.
So, what is the practice test? It鈥檚 an actual exam passage that has been retired and is available in every language pair in which the exam is offered. Ordering and downloading the practice test online couldn鈥檛 be easier.1 At $80 per test for ATA members ($120 for nonmembers), the practice test costs a fraction of the exam registration fee (currently $525) and is well worth it for candidates who aren鈥檛 sure if they鈥檙e ready. Even experienced translators taking the exam for the first time can benefit from it.
That potential benefit is substantial. Unlike exam results, where candidates are provided notice of pass or fail and information about their overall numerical score, practice tests are returned with markings and feedback. The candidate receives the marked text itself, together with a point breakdown by error category and brief explanations of any marked errors that aren鈥檛 self-explanatory (e.g., misspellings). This feedback can be quite helpful in preparing for the actual exam.
Despite this clear value, the most common objection we hear is along the lines of 鈥淚鈥檓 already a professional translator, so I don鈥檛 need practice.鈥 While it鈥檚 true that the certification exam is geared toward experienced (or 鈥減racticed鈥) translators, ATA certification鈥攍ike most test-based credentials鈥攊s awarded to those who exhibit specific knowledge, skills, and abilities, such as complete source-language comprehension, the ability to write fluently and idiomatically in the target language, and mastery of translation transfer skills.
These are all critical abilities for a working translator, but an established translator is not often called upon to demonstrate them in a focused and targeted exam setting. Moreover, many experienced translators work in a limited field (e.g., finance, education, or medicine) and are not accustomed to translating the sort of general texts presented in ATA鈥檚 certification exam. This is where the practice test comes in鈥攐r perhaps we should think of it as a 鈥渟neak preview.鈥 Even if you already know how to translate competently, completing one or more practice tests will give you a taste of the real thing and a better understanding of the standards applied in evaluating the exam鈥攖hus boosting your prospect of passing.
Another point of resistance to the practice tests comes from beginners who complain, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want practice or training; I鈥檓 already bilingual and just want to get certified so I can work as a translator.鈥 In this case, too, the practice test offers a valuable preview of what the candidate can expect to see on the exam, and hopefully it will dissuade the large number of candidates who think that being bilingual is qualification enough for translating effectively鈥攁nd who are partly to blame for the exam鈥檚 low overall pass rate.
Have I convinced you yet? If so, here are a few tips for making the most of your 鈥渟neak preview鈥:
- Allow plenty of time. Practice test grading turnaround depends on volume and other factors, so candidates should allow six to eight weeks to receive results. But bear in mind that if your practice test results suggest that your chance of passing the exam is good, you can register for the online exam immediately, as long as the exam year is still running (roughly from April through October).
- Take more than one. Many language pairs offer more than one practice test, so consider doing two or more.
- Take the test under exam conditions. Try to set aside 90 minutes of uninterrupted time and translate the passage in one go. Use only print reference materials and permitted online resources.2
- Carefully consider the feedback you receive. This feedback may tell you what areas to focus on. For example, do you need to proofread more carefully? Should you work on target-language grammar or usage? Are there gaps in your source-language comprehension that could be filled by further study?
- Upgrade old tests. If you requested and paid for a practice test more than a year ago and never got around to translating it or having it graded, ATA Headquarters will send you a current version of the passage for the same language pair upon request, for no additional charge.
For more information about the certification practice test, click here. For tips on moving forward after a failing practice test result, click here.
Notes
About the Author
David Stephenson, CT is chair of ATA鈥檚 Certification Committee. An ATA-certified German>English, Dutch>English, and Croatian>English translator, he has been an independent translator for over 30 years, specializing in civil litigation and creative nonfiction. He was the 2022 recipient of ATA鈥檚 Impact Award. david@bullcitylang.com