The ATA Chronicle - May/June 2024 - 32

CERTIFICATION FORUM by David Stephenson
Practice Test or
Sneak Preview?
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's 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.
S
o, what is the practice
test? It's 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't 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
32 The ATA Chronicle | May/June 2024
aren't sure if they're 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't 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
" I'm already a professional
translator, so I don't need
practice. " While it's true
that the certification exam is
geared toward experienced
(or " practiced " ) translators,
ATA certification-like most
test-based credentials-
is 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
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The ATA Chronicle - May/June 2024

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