ATA - American Translators Association Error Categories and Grading Questions and Answers

Question 1

In the ATA Framework for Standardized Error Marking, which category would apply to a translation that is awkward and unidiomatic because it follows the source text's structure too closely?

Accepted Answer

Literalness (L)

Answer

Faithfulness (F)

Answer

Misunderstanding (MU)

Answer

Syntax (SYN)

Question 2

During the grading of an ATA exam, a candidate provides two correct translation options for a single term, separated by a slash (e.g., 'attorney/lawyer'). How would this be marked?

Accepted Answer

As an Indecision (IND) error, because the candidate must make a final choice.

Answer

As a Terminology (T) error, because the best term was not chosen.

Answer

It would not be marked as an error since both options are correct.

Answer

As a Quality Point, rewarding the candidate's lexical range.

Question 3

A translation passage contains several inconsistent translations of a key technical term that is repeated throughout the source text. This makes the target text difficult to follow. Which error category best describes this issue?

Accepted Answer

Cohesion (COH)

Answer

Terminology (T)

Answer

Style (ST)

Answer

Misunderstanding (MU)

Question 4

According to the ATA's grading standards, which of the following is considered a 'Writing Quality' error rather than a 'Meaning Transfer' error?

Accepted Answer

Usage (U)

Answer

Omission (O)

Answer

Faux Ami (FA)

Answer

Addition (A)

Question 5

A candidate is translating a passage for a specialized medical journal as specified in the Translation Instructions. The candidate uses overly simplistic, everyday language instead of the appropriate medical terminology. This would be marked primarily as what type of error?

Accepted Answer

Text Type (TT)

Answer

Terminology (T)

Answer

Faithfulness (F)

Answer

Style (ST)

Question 6

What is the maximum number of error points a passage can receive to be marked as 'Pass' in the ATA certification exam?

Accepted Answer

17

Answer

15

Answer

20

Answer

10