Improver's course

The Improver’s Course is our flagship programme and is designed to meet the needs of students preparing for the Chartered Institute of Linguists’ Diploma in Translation, a postgraduate level professional qualification.

Comprehensive but flexible, the Improver’s Course will help you to learn how to translate to a professional level. Our course materials will provide explanations of key concepts and study materials, while your tutor will offer support and encouragement as you develop sound techniques and, most importantly, provide constructive feedback on your translations.

The course is geared to students with a level of linguistic competence and cultural understanding equivalent to a good Honours degree in the relevant foreign language or to several years of relevant work experience.

Course content

Students on the Improver’s Course get:

• The Translator Training course book "Improving your translation skills"
• Six translation assignments, evaluated by your tutor, in the subject area(s) of your choice, generally based on past DipTrans exam texts
• Three tutorials, conducted by phone, Skype or email

Your course is delivered through text-based materials and interaction with a designated translation tutor. The course book is for self-study and background reading, the translation assignments come with a clear task outline and your personal tutor will provide written feedback on your translations. Your one-to-one tutorials are conducted by email, phone or Skype and offer additional opportunities for exchange with your tutor.

Course duration and enrolment

You may enrol on the course at any time of the year and follow it from anywhere in the world. You maintain contact with your tutor via email and/or phone at times that suit you, and you choose the pace at which you work. Your timetable is up to you, but we ask you to complete your course before your scheduled exam session or within 12 months of enrolling. You can spend several months building up the skills level required before registering to take the exam. Or, if you have already registered and need intensive revision, you can complete the course over a much shorter period. It is up to you to choose the timeframe that fits in with your work and other commitments.

The Translator Training course book "Improving your translation skills"

The course book is the framework for developing the skills needed to pass the Diploma in Translation.

• It offers advice on managing your study goals, structuring your time, sourcing useful practice materials and developing self-revision techniques.
• It outlines key translation concepts and offers tips on developing and improving translation techniques, including coping with examination conditions.
• It includes guidance on analysing texts for translation, encourages critical reflection on translation tasks as well as recurrent translation problems, helping you to develop reasoned and appropriate strategies.
• It explains the assessment criteria by which your translation performance will be judged.
• It includes recommendations for reading as well as practical advice for the examination day itself.

Your six translation assignments

The Improver’s Course focuses on hands-on translation practice. We provide a range of translation assignments based on your subject choice, from which you choose six to complete for assessment by your tutor.

Each assignment is accompanied by pre-translation activities as well as post-assessment exercises, all designed to develop your analytical skills and to reflect critically on all aspects of the translation assignment.

For each assignment, you will have time to get to grips with the task as a whole and the key issues it raises before completing your translation and sending it to your tutor. The text materials we use include past DipTrans exam papers or equivalent texts with a corresponding volume of approx. 450 or 600 words.

The DipTrans examination provides candidates with a number of options, and our flexible course structure allows you to concentrate on the subject areas you intend to choose in the examination.

Three tutorials
Your one-to-one tutorials offer further opportunity to obtain constructive feedback on your achievements and can be scheduled at appropriate intervals throughout the course. Your personal tutor will be available, by appointment, for three tutorials of approximately 15 minutes each, to address specific translation issues you wish to raise and to advise on entering for the exam. Your one-to-one tutorials can be conducted by phone, Skype or email, and contact is initiated by the student.

Flexible course structure
The way you structure your course will reflect your own priorities and previous experience. While existing subject knowledge – gained from previous qualifications and/or employment – will be a big advantage in preparing for the examination, you will still need to develop sound translation strategies. So, on enrolment, just tell us which area or areas you wish to prepare for and we will provide you with material tailored to your choice. For example, if you plan to take one Unit at a time, you may decide to start with Unit 1, requesting six ‘General’ assignments. Or, if you have a strong background in, say, business, you may wish to start with Unit 2, requesting six ‘Business’ translations.

If you are planning to take all three Units at the same session, you may arrange your course for precisely that. However, be realistic – it is impractical to prepare for all six options, so you should make an initial selection. Whatever you choose, you have complete flexibility and can change your mind once you have enrolled – all you have to do is tell us.

If you have already gained credit for one or more Units of the examination, you can concentrate on the remaining Unit(s). And if you already hold the full DipTrans qualification, you may want to add an additional option, for example adding ‘Business’ in Unit 2 if you previously took ‘Literature’, or adding ‘Law’ in Unit 3, to broaden your employment opportunities. The Improver’s Course enables you to do just that.

Tutor support
You will have your own personal tutor to support you throughout the course; his or her contact details will be sent to you after you have enrolled.

Your tutor will

• help you establish a study routine and may, depending on your start date, suggest a schedule for submitting your assignments, though the timing of assignments is completely flexible so you can fit studying around work and family commitments.
• assess your translation assignments and provide detailed, written feedback, normally within 10 days of receipt, enabling you to keep tabs on your progress and see how your work measures up to the DipTrans exam criteria.
• help you identify any areas that you may need to research in more depth, and recommend additional or remedial work and further reading.
• help you decide on subject areas, report on your progress and offer advice on when to enter for the examination.

Course fees

The appropriate fee is payable on enrolment. Fees are fixed in £ sterling, fees in € euro are adjusted periodically.

Methods of payment

• Bank Transfer
• PayPal

When you complete the payment section on the enrolment form, you have the option of

• selecting “Payment by bank transfer” and we’ll advise bank details, or
• selecting “Payment by PayPal” which takes you to the PayPal platform

Courses may be started at any time to suit your needs, and must be completed before your scheduled examination session or within 12 months of your enrolment date, whichever is sooner.

On the enrolment form you may select the subject areas you would like to focus on, in any combination, covering exam units 1, 2 and/or 3, and we will send you appropriate materials.

For any queries about the courses we offer please read the Frequently Asked Questions before contacting us as the information you need may well be covered there.

When you are ready to enrol, please complete the enrolment form

Follow-up course

Follow-Up Courses are available to students who have already completed the Improver’s Course and wish to broaden their range of subject areas and/or deepen their translation skills under the watchful eye of an experienced tutor. Follow-Up Courses are intended to help you to fine-tune your skills, build on your strengths and focus on specific problem areas. They can also serve as a rehearsal or "mock-exam" done under strict exam conditions.

Course format and delivery

Follow-Up Courses are delivered in the same way as the Improver’s Course, providing detailed feedback on translation assignments and an added focus on time management. For complete flexibility, you choose how intensively you want to work. There are three Follow-up options:

Package 1:

3 translation assignments + 1 tutorial

Package 2:

4 translation assignments + 2 tutorials

Package 3:

6 translation assignments + 3 tutorials

Course duration and enrolment

You can enrol on a Follow-up Course at any time of the year after you have completed the Improver’s Course, and you can follow it from anywhere in the world. You maintain contact with your tutor via email and/or phone at times that suit you, and you choose the pace at which you work as long as you complete your course before your scheduled examination session or within 12 months of enrolling.

Tutor support

Your personal tutor – the person you worked with previously or someone else depending on availability – will support you throughout the course, advising you on a personal study plan with reasonable study and revision periods between assignments and tutorials, to enable you to keep tabs on your progress and to make best use of the time available before your scheduled examination.

Your tutor will assess your translation assignments and provide detailed comments, normally within 10 days of receipt. The feedback will also include suggestions for additional or remedial work and further reading.

About The Chartered Institute of Linguists’ Diploma in Translation (DipTrans)

Examination outline

The DipTrans is a postgraduate-level qualification validating professional translation competence. Set at level 7 (Masters Level) and regulated by Ofqual, this qualification is recognised nationally and internationally by the translation industry. The DipTrans is intended for people wishing to pursue a career in professional translation who have a linguistic competence at least equivalent to a good Honours Degree and/or extensive knowledge of the source language gained in a professional context. Successful candidates are entitled to use the designation CIOL DipTrans and may apply for full membership of the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL).

To pass the DipTrans examination, you will need to pass three Units:

Unit 1:

General Translation (3 hours)
For this Unit, you will translate a demanding but non-specialised text of approx. 600 words

Unit 2:

Semi-specialised Translation (2 hours)
For this Unit, you will translate a semi-specialised text of approx. 450 words in one of three options:

(A) Technology; (B) Business; or (C) Literature

Unit 3:

Semi-specialised Translation (2 hours)
For this Unit, you will translate a semi-specialised text of approx. 450 words in one of four options:

(D) Science; (E) Social Science; (F) Law; or (G) Arts and Culture

Unit 1 offers no choice of texts; in Units 2 and 3 candidates may choose on the day of the exam which semi-specialised option they wish to take. However, the best prepared candidates have given this some thought in advance, to allow for focussed and thorough preparation.

Examination candidates are expected to translate into their mother tongue or language of habitual use where this has taken the place of the mother tongue.

Availability of the DipTrans exam

The DipTrans exam is now available online. This means candidates take the exam in the safety and comfort of their own home, on their own computer, by logging on to a dedicated platform provided by CIOL (‘virtual exam centre’). Our courses provide specific information and training to prepare for the new online exam format.

The exam is held twice a year, in January and July. Dates, times and registration details are published on the CIOL website.

The examination is available in a modular format, giving candidates the option of either sitting all three Units in one session (held over two days) or taking Units individually and in any order. All three units of this qualification must be successfully completed within a three year period.

Holders of the full DipTrans can enter for Units 2 and/or 3 again if they wish to take additional semi-specialised options.

Candidates must register with CIOL directly and pay the examination fee: We cannot enter you on your behalf.

Full details about DipTrans exam dates, times, the new ‘virtual exam centre’ and registration deadlines can be found on the CIOL website or by contacting the exam registration department.

CIOL Contact details

www.ciol.org.uk
Tel +44 20 7940 3100 (ask for Central Registration Department)

Postal address:
Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL)
7th Floor
167 Fleet Street
London
EC4A 2EA