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Off topic: Did you sit the DipTrans exam on 17 or 18 Jan 2012?
Thread poster: Valérie Askins
Mark Thompson
Mark Thompson  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 05:09
Member
Portuguese to English
I passed second time around Jan 25, 2012

I took the Portuguese > English exam in Brazil in 2010 - pen and paper - and made a poor choice in paper 3, Social Sciences, rushed it and made a pig's ear of it, so I had to return in 2011 and re-sit that paper.

It was good in a way because I really prepared well for any possibility in paper 3, only had that two-hour part to worry about and was fortunate enough to pass and get the certificate.

As Tomás said, it's a good credential to have as more serious clients tend
... See more
I took the Portuguese > English exam in Brazil in 2010 - pen and paper - and made a poor choice in paper 3, Social Sciences, rushed it and made a pig's ear of it, so I had to return in 2011 and re-sit that paper.

It was good in a way because I really prepared well for any possibility in paper 3, only had that two-hour part to worry about and was fortunate enough to pass and get the certificate.

As Tomás said, it's a good credential to have as more serious clients tend to make contact now. I still get ridiculous offers from the silly ones too, but feel in a stronger position professionally.

Anyway, having endured the (more than) 14 week wait twice, all I can say is - relax and enjoy lfe for now, and I hope you get the right result!
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Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 09:09
Member (2005)
English to Spanish
+ ...
You can use a computer now in certain centres Jan 26, 2012

Lisa Simpson, MCIL wrote:
I sat the Dip. Trans back in pre-history (1994) when the exams were handwritten and we had armfuls of dictionaries. Has anything changed?

I brought two suitcases of dictionaries to both my exam venues. However, at certain centres (I sat the exam at the British Council in Madrid) you can write your exam with a computer, which helps a lot.

The computer is not connected to the Internet and the only technical aid you can use is the spellchecker. No own materials are allowed (memory pens/CDs with electronic dictionaries, tools, or glossaries) and the use of mobile devices is prohibited too. I completely agree with these regulations: if you cannot translate these texts without electronic aids or an Internet link, you should not be granted the DipTrans.


 
XXXphxxx (X)
XXXphxxx (X)  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:09
Portuguese to English
+ ...
I think I had 2 dictionaries Jan 26, 2012

I say 'armfuls of dictionaries' because some did turn up with armfuls. All I had at the time was a Collins bilingual Spanish and I think I also brought in an English thesaurus. The chap who taught us actually advised against bringing in too many as it would gobble up time leafing through them. We simply annotated terms we didn't know explaining where we would go to look them up under ordinary circumstances. What I do remember is that it was a LONG day, 3 x 3 hour (or was it 2 hour?) papers - des... See more
I say 'armfuls of dictionaries' because some did turn up with armfuls. All I had at the time was a Collins bilingual Spanish and I think I also brought in an English thesaurus. The chap who taught us actually advised against bringing in too many as it would gobble up time leafing through them. We simply annotated terms we didn't know explaining where we would go to look them up under ordinary circumstances. What I do remember is that it was a LONG day, 3 x 3 hour (or was it 2 hour?) papers - described to us as a hellish day in the office. Doesn't sound as if that much has changed.Collapse


 
Daimag (X)
Daimag (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 09:09
English to French
+ ...
Spellcheck Jan 26, 2012

Tomás Cano Binder, CT wrote:

Lisa Simpson, MCIL wrote:
I sat the Dip. Trans back in pre-history (1994) when the exams were handwritten and we had armfuls of dictionaries. Has anything changed?

I brought two suitcases of dictionaries to both my exam venues. However, at certain centres (I sat the exam at the British Council in Madrid) you can write your exam with a computer, which helps a lot.

The computer is not connected to the Internet and the only technical aid you can use is the spellchecker. No own materials are allowed (memory pens/CDs with electronic dictionaries, tools, or glossaries) and the use of mobile devices is prohibited too. I completely agree with these regulations: if you cannot translate these texts without electronic aids or an Internet link, you should not be granted the DipTrans.



I am surprised you were allowed touse spellcheck. I took the exam in Basel, Switzerland, this year and was not allowed to do it. When did you take it?


 
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 09:09
Member (2005)
English to Spanish
+ ...
January 2011 Jan 26, 2012

Daisy Maglia wrote:
I am surprised you were allowed to use spellcheck. I took the exam in Basel, Switzerland, this year and was not allowed to do it. When did you take it?

Well, I might be wrong about this, but I think it was enabled at the British Council in Madrid in January 2011...


 
Emma Goldsmith
Emma Goldsmith  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 09:09
Member (2004)
Spanish to English
Spellcheck Jan 26, 2012

Tomás Cano Binder, CT wrote:

Well, I might be wrong about this, but I think it was enabled at the British Council in Madrid in January 2011...


I used Word 2003 with its spellcheck enabled at the British Council in Madrid last week

@ Lisa. Another thing that has changed is that the only notes that are allowed are those that would be made in a professional context, so now you can't say "I would check this term on such and such a website in a real-life situation".

[Edited at 2012-01-26 15:46 GMT]


 
Daimag (X)
Daimag (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 09:09
English to French
+ ...
Lucky you... Jan 26, 2012

Emma Goldsmith wrote:

Tomás Cano Binder, CT wrote:

Well, I might be wrong about this, but I think it was enabled at the British Council in Madrid in January 2011...


I used Word 2003 with its spellcheck enabled at the British Council in Madrid



... But I think that's not really fair for those who have written by hand or those who didn't have access to it.
It should be the same for all candidates, since IoL doesn't make any difference betweeen handwritten and processed documents.


 
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 09:09
Member (2005)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Fair/not fair Jan 26, 2012

Daisy Maglia wrote:
Emma Goldsmith wrote:
I used Word 2003 with its spellcheck enabled at the British Council in Madrid

... But I think that's not really fair for those who have written by hand or those who didn't have access to it.
It should be the same for all candidates, since IoL doesn't make any difference betweeen handwritten and processed documents.

Well, one would think that it is not fair that candidates taking the exam with a computer pay a lot more at the examination centre. In Madrid, doing the exam at the British Council is an option. It costs more, but you have the computer. If you are short of money, there is at least one other examination centre with pen and paper. So I reckon using a computer is just a little luxury for those who can afford it, as with so many other things in life!


 
XXXphxxx (X)
XXXphxxx (X)  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:09
Portuguese to English
+ ...
Does the annotated paper not exist anymore? Jan 26, 2012

Emma Goldsmith wrote:
@ Lisa. Another thing that has changed is that the only notes that are allowed are those that would be made in a professional context, so now you can't say "I would check this term on such and such a website in a real-life situation".

[Edited at 2012-01-26 15:46 GMT]


That sounds odd, what skill are they testing? Monumental knowledge of vocabulary? The ability to carry heavy suitcases full of dictionaries? From memory, the first (general) paper of the day was a general one with annotations. Annotations were a requirement, you had to explain why you had chosen to translate each phrase in such and such a way - I hated that bit. We also had all the exams in one day (is that still the case?) and I don't think you were allowed to resit the odd paper here and there. I don't think you got a breakdown of what you passed or failed, it was all or nothing.

[Edited at 2012-01-26 17:17 GMT]

[Edited at 2012-01-26 17:19 GMT]


 
Emma Goldsmith
Emma Goldsmith  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 09:09
Member (2004)
Spanish to English
Terminology and spellchecker Jan 26, 2012

Lisa Simpson, MCIL wrote:

That sounds odd, what skill are they testing? Monumental knowledge of vocabulary? The ability to carry heavy suitcases full of dictionaries?


I quite agree, and since my knowledge of a certain brand and model of an industrial printer is not monumental it will in fact explain the reason for my failing the paper, I suspect.
So, you're right, no annotations any more. Yes, you can do all 3 papers in one day, or do them separately, with a 5 year limit for passing them all.

Re: use of a spellchecker. I think I read that the odd spelling mistake would not be an automatic fail if the paper is handwritten, whereas it certainly would be inexcusable for candidates who have had access to a word processor.


 
Ty Kendall
Ty Kendall  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:09
Hebrew to English
Maybe Emma is referring to this.... Jan 26, 2012

Lisa Simpson, MCIL wrote:

Emma Goldsmith wrote:
@ Lisa. Another thing that has changed is that the only notes that are allowed are those that would be made in a professional context, so now you can't say "I would check this term on such and such a website in a real-life situation".

[Edited at 2012-01-26 15:46 GMT]


That sounds odd, what skill are they testing? Monumental knowledge of vocabulary? The ability to carry heavy suitcases full of dictionaries? From memory, the first (general) paper of the day was a general one with annotations. Annotations were a requirement, you had to explain why you had chosen to translate each phrase in such and such a way - I hated that bit. We also had all the exams in one day (is that still the case?) and I don't think you were allowed to resit the odd paper here and there. I don't think you got a breakdown of what you passed or failed, it was all or nothing.

[Edited at 2012-01-26 17:17 GMT]

[Edited at 2012-01-26 17:19 GMT]


"Avoid using translator’s notes at all unless they are absolutely unavoidable. Use translator’s
notes only as you would in professional practice."

It appears on the IoL list of recommendations for candidates.
http://www.iol.org.uk/qualifications/DipTrans/2010/CandidateRecommendationsDT10.pdf


 
XXXphxxx (X)
XXXphxxx (X)  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:09
Portuguese to English
+ ...
Ah but Translator's notes are different. Jan 26, 2012

Ty Kendall wrote:

"Avoid using translator’s notes at all unless they are absolutely unavoidable. Use translator’s
notes only as you would in professional practice."

It appears on the IoL list of recommendations for candidates.
http://www.iol.org.uk/qualifications/DipTrans/2010/CandidateRecommendationsDT10.pdf


Oh, I agree, 'Translator's notes' were a definite no-no, I had that drummed into me and I still don't use them. However, you were allowed to explain that you didn't know that particular term, but under normal circumstances you'd refer to x dictionary - websites didn't exist back then


 
XXXphxxx (X)
XXXphxxx (X)  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:09
Portuguese to English
+ ...
It sounds as if a lot has changed Jan 26, 2012

Emma Goldsmith wrote:

I quite agree, and since my knowledge of a certain brand and model of an industrial printer is not monumental it will in fact explain the reason for my failing the paper, I suspect.
So, you're right, no annotations any more. Yes, you can do all 3 papers in one day, or do them separately, with a 5 year limit for passing them all.


a) We were told that what was really being tested was our English (in my case) not our source language, so the lack of knowledge of a particular specialist area or terminology wouldn't necessarily mean a fail. What they were testing was your ability to tackle anything. It makes perfect sense. You wouldn't normally be translating a manual for an industrial printer if it's not your specialist area. So, don't lose heart and assume you've failed.
b) Be very thankful indeed that the annotations paper has gone because that was a pain in the neck. You had to justify every turn-of-phrase, explain in detail how and why you had translated a word in a particular way as opposed to another. It was boring and then (and now) seemed utterly pointless.
c) You HAD to do the 3 papers in one day. Nothing separate about them and if you failed anything you re-took the whole lot.

Someone may come along and correct me and then I'll be seriously concerned about the state of my memory


 
XXXphxxx (X)
XXXphxxx (X)  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:09
Portuguese to English
+ ...
They did get rid of the Annotations paper Jan 26, 2012

This from the IOL 'Handbook and Advice to Candidates' (2003):

"5. The Removal of Annotations in Paper 1
Annotations, where candidates had been required to comment upon problem areas in a source text with the aim of arriving at a solution and justifying the ultimate choice made in the target text, were a compulsory aspect of the Paper 1 examination. In the 2003 session, they became optional apart from for those candidates who wished to try for a Merit or Distinction.
Foll
... See more
This from the IOL 'Handbook and Advice to Candidates' (2003):

"5. The Removal of Annotations in Paper 1
Annotations, where candidates had been required to comment upon problem areas in a source text with the aim of arriving at a solution and justifying the ultimate choice made in the target text, were a compulsory aspect of the Paper 1 examination. In the 2003 session, they became optional apart from for those candidates who wished to try for a Merit or Distinction.
Following the realisation that large numbers of competent candidates were failing because of the quality or quantity of the annotations written, the Institute’s Examinations Review Board took the decision that as the key issue in the examination is the demonstration of candidates’ ability to translate to the required professional standard, annotations in Paper 1 should be dispensed with and replaced with an aspect of translation that features in a real-life context. This new aspect is the use of TRANSLATORS’ NOTES."
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Ty Kendall
Ty Kendall  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:09
Hebrew to English
I don't know about anyone else.... Jan 26, 2012

...but the DipTrans Examiners Reports make for some fascinating reading! (I'm serious)

 
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