CIOL Diptrans Prep Courses

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So, you have decided to take the CIOL DipTrans exam. Good choice! Now what? 

Regardless of whether or not you have been working as a translator, I highly recommend taking an exam prep course. It is a massive exam, after all, and the grading criteria is specific. And the good news is that the prep courses give you previous exam articles to work from so you get an idea of the level you will be required to translate.

The CIOL DipTrans exam consists of the following: 

General Text: 600 words 

This text is 'general', meaning whatever the topic, a specialised knowledge is not required. However, you will be required to have a substantial vocabulary. Topics can include and are not limited to politics, the arts, business, and more. You have three hours to complete this.

Semi-Specialised Text 1: 450 words 

You will have the choice of three articles of the following topics: Literature, Technology, or Law. You have two hours to complete this.

Semi-Specialised Text 2: 450 words 

You will have the choice of three articles of the following topics: Science, Humanities, or Business. You have two hours to complete this.

Courses: 

There are several different courses you can do, through several different institutions. You can go through the CIOL themselves, or through other organisations. I personally went through the International House Barcelona, as I was living in Spain at the time and they offered an online course.

To view their course, see here:

https://www.ihes.com/bcn/translation/iol-course.html

They also offer and Intro to Translation course, as well as other specialised translation courses. You can find these here:

https://www.ihes.com/bcn/traduccion/index.html

Now, the CIOL DipTrans exam can be taken in quite a few different languages, so make sure to find a prep course for the correct language combination. As you should always translate into your native language, please ensure before enrolling you have selected the correct languages.

Cost: 

The cost of the prep course is around €750.00. Obviously, depending on which country you take it in and which company you go through, the cost will vary. The exam itself was £786.00. This price changes yearly, though not by much. Overall, it is around 1,500.00. It may seem like a lot, but the benefits of having this certificate far outweigh the cost. An internationally recognised diploma, at the level of a Master's degree, for that price? For me it was a no-brainer.

The other cost you need to think about is TIME. How much time will this take you? Again, this will vary depending on which course you take. My online course was February to November. The exam takes place in January each year, in various locations around the world. To sign up for the exam, you need to do so by August of the year before (i.e. August 2018 for the Jan 2019 exam). I do not know about other courses, though I would imagine they are similar in that by July, your course instructor will tell you whether or not they think you have a chance at passing the exam. In other words, to take it this year or wait one more to better prepare yourself.

Do Your Research

As I did research into this, many other bloggers also describe their experiences. Blogs are by far the best way to feel out how these exams are and what is the best choice for you. Many people tried their hand at taking the exam without a prep course, including experienced translators, but most if not all did not pass it, at least completely. Again, this is an exam and they are quite specific in how they want the translated articles. They are cramming at least two years of Master's classes into one very long exam.

If you don't believe me, let me give you some numbers. The passing rate for all three translations in one sitting is 30-40%. Spanish to English numbers are even lower - only 20%. And you don't have to take my word for it; check out other translators' blogs, do the research yourself. It is a very difficult exam to pass, but all of those who have been able to complete it say it is well worth it.

One more thing to keep in mind: You have five years from when you take the first exam to complete it. You can pass for example the general text, but not the other two. This means that the next year, you do not have to retake the translation you have passed, just the ones you still need to complete. Price also reflects this; you only pay for the translations you are going to do.

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