ATA Error Categories and Grading Flashcards
6 cards from real ATA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 ATA Error Categories and Grading flashcards as text
In ATA grading, how is a 'false friend' error typically categorized?
Answer: As a mistranslation error because a deceptively similar word was used incorrectly
Using a false cognate that changes meaning is a mistranslation error because the wrong semantic equivalent was selected.
Which describes a 'literal translation' error in the ATA grading context?
Answer: Translating idiomatic expressions word-for-word such that the target text is unnatural or misleading
A literal translation error occurs when a translator follows the source text's wording so closely that the result is unnatural, confusing, or inaccurate in the target language.
In the ATA framework, what distinguishes a 'minor' error from a 'major' error?
Answer: Minor errors have little impact on comprehension or usability; major errors significantly impair meaning or function
Severity in ATA grading depends on the error's impact on the reader's understanding and the text's usability. Major errors significantly impair or distort meaning.
How does the ATA address 'additions' -- content in the target text not present in the source -- in its grading?
Answer: Unnecessary additions that introduce meaning not in the source are penalized as accuracy errors
Adding information not in the source text is an accuracy error because it changes what the target-text reader receives compared to the source-text reader.
Which concept does 'terminology consistency' relate to in ATA error grading?
Answer: Using the same target-language term for equivalent source-language terms throughout the text
Terminology consistency requires that the same source concept be rendered with the same target-language term throughout, especially in technical and specialized texts.
What does the ATA grading system mean by 'target-language fluency' as a quality criterion?
Answer: The target text should read naturally and idiomatically as though originally written in the target language
Fluency means the target text reads naturally and idiomatically, without foreignisms or interference from source-language structures.