Took the Eng>Span ATA exam on May 7th? Initiator des Themas: Arturo Delgado
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Arturo Delgado 
Vereinigte Staaten
Local time: 18:24
Englisch > Spanisch
I took the Eng>Span ATA exam in New York City on May 7th.
If you took this exam too, maybe we can discuss it here.
Hope to hear from someone soon.
| | | | | I wish you the best! | May 9, 2011 |
I will keep an eye on this forum. Doing the exam (I was lucky and passed in the first go) was a very exciting experience and I hope it was for you too!
| | | | Ashley Wans
Vereinigte Staaten
Local time: 15:24
Spanisch > Englisch
+ ...
| Opposite direction | May 9, 2011 |
I am planning to take the Spanish to English exam for the first time in September.
I wish you luck and hope to hear some positive news about your exam soon!
| | | | Arturo Delgado
Vereinigte Staaten
Local time: 18:24
Englisch > Spanisch
THEMENSTARTER
Ashley, good luck. Practice, practice, practice.
Practice writing by hand. Your fingers get tired quickly. Practice writing 4 or 5 pages per paragraph (you have to translate two paragraphs). Whoever is going to read your translation has to understand what you wrote. When in doubt, they'll mark it wrong.
For me, this is the second try, so if you have any questions, let me know.
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Arturo Delgado
Vereinigte Staaten
Local time: 18:24
Englisch > Spanisch
THEMENSTARTER
Tomas,
I need advice from you. This is my second try.
I finished, but I only had 12 or 15 minutes left to review my translation.
What does that tell us? On the other hand, I am a perfectionist, so maybe, in a way, it's good that I don't have a lot of time left to review and make changes. Have any tips?
Thanks,
Arturo
| | | | | My two cents | May 10, 2011 |
Arturo Delgado wrote:
I finished, but I only had 12 or 15 minutes left to review my translation.
What does that tell us? On the other hand, I am a perfectionist, so maybe, in a way, it's good that I don't have a lot of time left to review and make changes.
It is very hard to tell. I am sure your translation was a really good one and that maybe some part of it was marked as a fail for really minor details.
I would say that the time available for the exams is the very minimum for a task done with paper and a pencil. We are just not used to that anymore, and it would be grand to be able to type in a computer. I think there is some pilot program in place with this goal in mind.
Now, assuming that you will have to do the exam on paper as well, there are several things that come to mind:
- Use pencil and rubber (yes, this is pretty obvious, I know).
- Avoid making a draft. It is better to think globally about the text for a while, and write the text only once. Writing a draft will consume a lot of your time.
BTW: In this kind of exams, there are "quick-starters" and "long-thinkers". Both approaches are OK, I think. I am more the second kind and prefer to have a general idea of the text in my mind and some notes on the source text, but I have seen people pass in similar exams who started writing immediately with no thinking at all!
- Try not to write in a very condensed manner, because when you want to change something, you will have to erase a lot. If you leave a bit of space at the end of each line, you have higher chances that you will have space for quick corrections or to add things you missed.
- After a quick read of the piece to grasp the topic, style, and intention, do a second reading, marking all things that might pose difficulty (and e.g. will force you to check a dictionary) and writing down ideas that come to mind about the translation of this or that expression, with question marks if you are unsure, or with different options among which you can choose later. This will help you while writing your translation. I would not use the dictionary at this stage: only when you are deciding doubtful translations later on.
- Avoid checking the dictionary too much. It is better to think and to try to remember about related past translations you may have done than to check the dictionary for everything. It is just a matter of time, really. In this sense, it is better to trust your gut feeling than to doubt too much. If you have enough time at the end of each text, you will be able to double-check things you are not absolutely sure about.
Can you tell me what kind of references you had with you on the day of the exam?
In my venue in 2008, I saw many people with just one big bilingual dictionary or just two or three references, but I feel that is clearly insufficient. I carried a whole mid-sized suitcase full of dictionaries, plus some three or four dictionaries more in a bag. I did not open about half of them, but am happy I had them just in case. Monolingual dictionaries (in the sense of the RAE or the Short Oxford, for instance) are an absolute must!!
I also tend to think that it is best to hire another seasoned professional (ideally a certified one) to choose texts for you to do as practice, and correct in the most merciless way possible. I was lucky to be able to count on a great translator who was totally merciless with me and who pinpointed areas of improvement. At what time I had been translating full-time for 12 years, but a more seasoned profesional always sees something you can't see.
I think this is what comes to mind initially. I hope this helps for a start!
| | | | Ashley Wans
Vereinigte Staaten
Local time: 15:24
Spanisch > Englisch
+ ...
| Thanks for the advice. | May 11, 2011 |
Arturo Delgado wrote:
Ashley, good luck. Practice, practice, practice.
Practice writing by hand. Your fingers get tired quickly. Practice writing 4 or 5 pages per paragraph (you have to translate two paragraphs). Whoever is going to read your translation has to understand what you wrote. When in doubt, they'll mark it wrong.
For me, this is the second try, so if you have any questions, let me know.
Thanks for your input. I ordered 3 practice tests, so hopefully I will learn from these trial runs!
| | | | Arturo Delgado
Vereinigte Staaten
Local time: 18:24
Englisch > Spanisch
THEMENSTARTER
Ashley,
Feel free to contact me for any questions as you work on your practice tests.
I think my profile shows my e-mail address and you can get my phone number from my resume, which is also part of my profile.
Good luck
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Arturo Delgado
Vereinigte Staaten
Local time: 18:24
Englisch > Spanisch
THEMENSTARTER
Hola Tomas,
Gracias por tus consejos.
Yo lleve varios diccionarios: 2 diccionarios bilingues, 1 diccionario solo de espanol, 1 diccionario de sinonimos, 1 diccionario de terminologia juridica, 1 diccionario extra que es muy bueno para expresiones idiomaticas.
No hay ningun impedimento o restriccion en cuanto al numero de diccionarios, asi que por que no llevar varios. Mas vale prevenir que lamentar, verdad?
Si los resultados que obtengo en setiembre con respecto a... See more Hola Tomas,
Gracias por tus consejos.
Yo lleve varios diccionarios: 2 diccionarios bilingues, 1 diccionario solo de espanol, 1 diccionario de sinonimos, 1 diccionario de terminologia juridica, 1 diccionario extra que es muy bueno para expresiones idiomaticas.
No hay ningun impedimento o restriccion en cuanto al numero de diccionarios, asi que por que no llevar varios. Mas vale prevenir que lamentar, verdad?
Si los resultados que obtengo en setiembre con respecto a mi examen me son adversos, me comunicare contigo de alguna manera para ver si puedes ayudarme a prepararme para un nuevo intento.
Seguiremos en contacto.
Saludos,
Arturo ▲ Collapse
| | | | Arturo Delgado
Vereinigte Staaten
Local time: 18:24
Englisch > Spanisch
THEMENSTARTER | Passed the Exam | Jul 29, 2011 |
Hi,
I just received a letter from the ATA telling me I passed the exam.
Thank you for your comments and suggestions.
Arturo
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