| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Is ATA certification worth it? (2016 edition) Thread poster: Michael Marcoux
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Kristina Cosumano (X) 
Germany
Local time: 06:51
German to English
| From the ATA website | Feb 27, 2016 |
Michael Marcoux wrote:
I'm surprised about the low pass rate - considering that you have to have a T&I degree to sit the exam or 2-5 years experience in the field, depending on your level of education. Maybe I got a really easy practice test - one of my friends told me the "general" section of his SP>EN exam covered the technical aspects of wine making and mash production, but I haven't heard too many stories like that.
Again, here is what the ATA says in its own FAQs about the test:
Why do people fail the practice test?
Omissions, mistranslations where the meaning of the original text is lost, and accumulation of target-language writing errors. Tests taken from a candidate’s native language into a target language account for a high percentage of the failures.
I take it there are a lot of people who want to be certified to translate in both directions, which is understandable.
| | | | Robert Forstag
United States
Local time: 00:51
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Arbitrary test passages | Feb 29, 2016 |
Michael Marcoux wrote:
Maybe I got a really easy practice test - one of my friends told me the "general" section of his SP>EN exam covered the technical aspects of wine making and mash production, but I haven't heard too many stories like that.
Reading this reminds me that the "general" (i.e., mandatory) passage on a SP>EN certification exam that I took in 2004 had to do with sewage systems in Colombia. I did not pass that exam, but I did pass the following year.
One hopes this has changed, but such stories highlight just how arbitrary the testing process can be. So if you happen to get a "bad draw" like this involving an area that you don't know well, your chances for passing could really end up being close to zero.
Of course, according to the ATA's own certification exam guidelines, the content of the "general passage' should be, well, general, and this ought to exclude specialized texts drawing from subjects such as wine production and wastewater management....
[Edited at 2016-02-29 16:52 GMT]
| | | | finnword1
United States
Local time: 00:51
English to Finnish
+ ...
| In your language pair, I would think so | Feb 29, 2016 |
439 total, but only 45 certified. It's good to stand out.
| | | | | Practice Exam Note on Fail Rate | Mar 3, 2016 |
I also recently took a practice exam for Rus-Eng (the passage about creating a database of whales, if anyone can relate
In the explanation attached, it was noted that a large percentage of those who fail ATA exams are translating into a non-native language, so that's something to keep in mind. Would be interesting to see what the pass rates are for those translating into their native language.
Edit: Sorr... See more I also recently took a practice exam for Rus-Eng (the passage about creating a database of whales, if anyone can relate
In the explanation attached, it was noted that a large percentage of those who fail ATA exams are translating into a non-native language, so that's something to keep in mind. Would be interesting to see what the pass rates are for those translating into their native language.
Edit: Sorry! Missed second page of comments!
[Edited at 2016-03-03 21:13 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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