ITI Language Proficiency & Accuracy 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following best illustrates the translation technique known as 'modulation'?
- Borrowing a source-language term unchanged into the target text
- Changing the point of view or cognitive category while preserving the meaning (e.g., translating 'not difficult' as 'easy') (Correct answer)
- Replacing one part of speech with another
- Adding explanatory words absent from the source text
Correct answer: Changing the point of view or cognitive category while preserving the meaning (e.g., translating 'not difficult' as 'easy')
Modulation changes the perspective or frame of reference (e.g., positive for negative) while conveying the same meaning.
Question 2: A translator working into English produces the phrase 'make a decision' in place of 'decide.' This is an example of:
- Accurate rendering with appropriate colocation
- Nominalization that may reduce text economy but is not necessarily incorrect (Correct answer)
- A serious mistranslation
- Interference from the source language
Correct answer: Nominalization that may reduce text economy but is not necessarily incorrect
Nominalization (using a noun phrase instead of a verb) can reduce conciseness but is a stylistic, not accuracy, issue unless the meaning changes.
Question 3: When a translator adds information that is implied in the source culture but unknown to target readers, this technique is called:
- Domestication
- Explicitation (Correct answer)
- Naturalization
- Compensation
Correct answer: Explicitation
Explicitation makes implicit source-text information explicit in the target text to aid comprehension by the target audience.
Question 4: A translator consistently renders the Spanish imperfect tense as simple past in English, losing the habitual or ongoing nuance. This represents a failure in:
- Lexical accuracy
- Grammatical transfer competence, specifically in tense and aspect (Correct answer)
- Stylistic register management
- Document formatting
Correct answer: Grammatical transfer competence, specifically in tense and aspect
The Spanish imperfect conveys habitual or ongoing past actions, a nuance that must be captured through appropriate English constructions such as 'used to' or 'would.'
Question 5: Which standard is most relevant for evaluating translation quality in a professional ITI context?
- ISO 9001 (Quality Management Systems)
- ISO 17100 (Translation Services) (Correct answer)
- ISO 27001 (Information Security)
- ISO 31000 (Risk Management)
Correct answer: ISO 17100 (Translation Services)
ISO 17100 specifically governs the requirements for translation services, including translator competence, revision, and quality assurance processes.
Question 6: A source text uses sentence fragments for stylistic effect. The translator expands every fragment into a complete sentence. This decision:
- Always improves the quality of the target text
- May normalize the style and lose the deliberate rhetorical effect of the source (Correct answer)
- Is required by all major style guides
- Eliminates ambiguity, which is always preferable
Correct answer: May normalize the style and lose the deliberate rhetorical effect of the source
Stylistic devices such as fragments are intentional; over-normalization can erase the author's voice and rhetorical strategy.
Question 7: In assessing a candidate's language proficiency for the ITI Diploma, which combination of skills is most critical?
- Speed of translation and use of CAT tools
- Exceptional command of both source and target languages, including grammar, idiom, style, and register (Correct answer)
- Familiarity with translation memory databases and glossary management
- Ability to translate across more than two language pairs simultaneously
Correct answer: Exceptional command of both source and target languages, including grammar, idiom, style, and register
The ITI Diploma assesses deep bilingual competence, including grammar, idiomatic usage, stylistic awareness, and register command in both working languages.
ITI Language Proficiency & Accuracy 5
Which of the following best illustrates the translation technique known as 'modulation'?