Certification
programs for translators and interpreters in China
were started a few years ago and are now still at
the formulating stage. They were introduced to satisfy
demands brought about by the fast-paced commercial
and economic boom in the country. This article attempts
to describe the current state of these programs.
Currently
there are two nationally recognized certification
examinations. One is CATTI (China Aptitude Test
for Translators and Interpreters, 2003) and the
other is NAETI (National Accreditation Examinations
for Translators and Interpreters, 2001).
The
former is organized and sponsored by the Ministry
of Personnel and the China International Publishing
Group (CIPG), and the latter by the National Education
Examinations Authority and Beijing Foreign Studies
University.
The
two examination programs are both open to the general
public without limitations on applicants' education,
background or experience. CATTI sets four proficiency
levels: Senior Translator and Interpreter, Translator
and Interpreter Level One, Translator and Interpreter
Level Two and Translator and Interpreter Level Three.
Currently only Level Two and Level Three examinations
are available. NAETI offers three proficiency level
exams with Level One as the highest and Level Three
the lowest.
For
both programs, a Level Two certification is considered
essential for a professional translator.
Unlike
most similar certification programs in many countries,
both exams test the candidates' ability to do two-way
translations (foreign language(s) and Chinese).
For example, if you are sitting for an English-Chinese
translation test, you are expected to complete both
English to Chinese and Chinese to English translation
tests. In order to acquire certification, you have
to pass both.
In
other words, once you have passed the exam, you
are certified as having the ability to translate
both into and from Chinese. CATTI allows use of
dictionaries in the translation test, but NAETI
does not.
CATTI
examination for each available level consists of
two parts. The first part tests the candidates'
general English proficiency with vocabulary, grammar
and reading questions. The second part tests their
translation skills (altogether four paragraphs,
two for other language to Chinese translation, and
two in the opposite direction). NAETI exams only
test candidates' translation skills (similar to
CATTI).
The
languages included in CATTI's exams are Arabic,
Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Russian,
and Spanish. The only languages available in NAETI
are Chinese and English.
CET
Band 4 and 6
CET
stands for College English Test, the purpose of
which is to test for Chinese college students' (non-English
majors) general English ability--listening, reading
comprehension, and writing--against specified teaching
syllabus. CET tests are not a professional-level
certification.
Students
who failed to pass CET-4 test are ineligible for
a BA degree. Therefore, for all college students
(non-English majors), passing CET-4 is obligatory.
CET-6
is a higher level test of a similar nature. But
it is optional and is an exam of the students' English
achievement at college level.
CET
Band 4 and 6 are also open to the general public.
CET-4 and 6 certificates showing "优秀"
(Excellence) are reserved for high-scoring students/takers.
TEM-4
and 8
TEM
stands for Test for English Majors. They are English
majors' CET-4 and 6 with different names and of
much higher proficiency levels.
However,
TEM-4 and 8 are not open to the general public or
non-English majors. Again, these are only academic
tests aimed at testing for a student's general college-level
English proficiency according to a syllabus and
are not professional certification programs.
For
English majors, TEM-4 is obligatory and is a prerequisite
for a BA degree. TEM-8 enjoys a similar status as
CET-6.
CATTI
and NAETI Level Three (lowest level) examinations
are recommended for students whose English level
is equivalent to or above CET-6 with some years
of translation practice.
Further references:
http://www.neea.edu.cn/info/info.jsp?infoid=463&class_id=08_02
http://www.CATTI.net.cn
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-02/28/content_420317.htm
