ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

1. Identify translating requirements and expectations of audience.

1.1 Identify source language, including register and style.

1.2 Identify source, context and purpose of text, determining specific requirements and regional or specialist aspects.

1.3 Identify audience for translated text and confirm that translation requirements and expectations match those of client.

1.4 Identify salutations and other source language conventions not to be translated literally.

1.5 Confirm and review resources to aid in understanding specialist or technical language.

2 Analyse language of source text.

2.1 Apply subject and context knowledge to translation task, sourcing further assistance where required.

2.2 Analyse language and writing conventions, determining use of terminology and language and using techniques to address difficulties identified.

2.3 Identify social and cultural issues and plan solutions relevant to translation task.

2.4 Recognise idiomatic and metaphorical expressions and foreign loan words in source language.

2.5 Build, use and maintain assignment-specific glossary.

3 Analyse grammar and cohesion of source text.

3.1 Analyse function of source language punctuation.

3.2 Determine semantic and syntactic structure.

3.3 Paraphrase text to check plausibility of comprehension.

4 Resolve difficulties.

4.1 Identify deficient source language text and discuss with client.

4.2 Suggest solutions and reformulate text as agreed for effective translation.

Required skills

language skills analyse source text for meaning, including:

cause and effect relationships

cohesive and substitution devices

function of words and grammatical elements

idioms and idiomatic expressions

metaphor and simile

parsing sentences

punctuation

register and style

literacy skills to:

assess and use information

interpret terminology and jargon

read and record information

problem-solving skills to:

address problems in source text

research skills to:

identify background information relevant to assignment

make preparations to ensure effective and efficient translations

technical skills to:

select and apply appropriate resources, techniques and equipment

technological skills to use office equipment and information and communications technology (ICT) for translating purposes

Required knowledge

cultural knowledge, including cross-cultural perspective to:

determine cultural concepts embedded in language

identify inherent cultural and socio-cultural concepts

file and information management techniques

language structure, dialects and idioms in source language

professional procedures, ethical practices and business standards

subject specialist area and culture-specific knowledge relevant to topic of translation

The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

In addition to integrated demonstration of the elements and their related performance criteria, look for evidence that confirms the ability to read and analyse a written message in a source language for the purpose of later transfer to a target language including:

building, using and maintaining an assignment-specific glossary

identifying the context, purpose and intent of the author

identifying the key linguistic, cultural, societal and situational elements to be conveyed

analysing language and writing conventions

using a range of techniques and resources to address and resolve difficulties identified

paraphrasing text to check plausibility of comprehension

using technology to source and review appropriate information and reference material

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Evidence for assessment of this unit of competency will make use of scenarios, case studies, experiences and, where possible, examples of interactions with colleagues and clients which illustrate a range of skills and strategies for analysing texts for translation.

Resources for assessment include:

a range of source texts and their paraphrased target texts

individual language resources such as glossaries and dictionaries, written and in memory.

sources of content information and research.

examples of part and fully completed translated texts

examples of complex texts in a limited range of content and subject areas

examples of simple texts in a range of content and subject areas

examples of source texts which present a range of cultural and equivalence issues.

examples of source texts which require further research on content, language and presentation

While the content and scenarios may be simulated, evidence for assessment should reflect the conditions of real assignments in reading and analysing a range of texts presenting varying equivalence problems and requiring a range of research.

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Resources may include:

translating technology

dictionaries

glossaries

internet sites

content and subject specialists

Language may include:

idiomatic expressions in source language

specialist vocabulary, expressions and concepts

non-equivalence

technical terminology

idiosyncratic language, slang, jargon

Writing conventions include:

abbreviations

acronyms

punctuation

symbols

Techniques may include:

optical character readers

scanning and enlargement

Difficulties identified may include:

concepts specific to culture or locale

deciphering idiosyncratic source language

deciphering illegible handwriting or stamps

linguistically complex language

proper nouns and their localisation

translation precedents

Glossary includes:

key vocabulary list

terminology bank

record of translation decisions