CERTIFICATE EXAM OVERVIEW
Upon successfully completing the two semesters of 6 credits each (12 credits in total), all students who have earned a grade of B- (80%) or better as the average of the two semesters will be eligible to take the exam for the University of Massachusetts Boston Translation Certificate. The certificate exam will be given remotely. Only those students who pass the exam will earn the certificate. If approved, you will obtain an official Certificate signed by the Dean of the University and the Chair of the Department of Latin American and Iberian Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The certificate exam is offered only twice per year, in June and December. Each eligible student will have two opportunities to take it at no extra charge.
The Certificate Exam tests for basic professional translation skills. It is designed to determine whether a candidate is able to produce a translation that is professionally usable within the framework provided by the Translation Instructions. A Certificate in Spanish/English Translation is awarded upon successful completion of the program and demonstration of excellence by completing a qualifying examination by a panel of experts from the Department of Latin American and Iberian Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
The translation skills in question are those acquired and practiced during the courses, and defined by the positive answers to four broad questions:
- Does the translation demonstrate compliance with the specifications of the Translation Instructions?
- Does the translation demonstrate understanding of the overall content, purpose, and argument of the examination passage?
- Does the translation demonstrate competent familiarity with translation strategies of various kinds?
- Does the translation demonstrate good writing in the target language?