As the April 1st beginning of the certification exam year draws near, it’s a good time to look at the progress we’ve made in improving accessibility to the exam. 回想一下:就在2015年, all exams were administered in physical sittings and were handwritten. Fast forward to 2022, when the exam was made available online and on-demand for the first time. 两年前, 在新冠危机最严重的时候, demand for the exam had plummeted from over 400 candidates a year to only a handful. Well, 下降的并不是太多的需求, it was our ability to stage physical sittings amid pandemic restrictions.
At least the lockdown and other unpleasantries from 2020 had a silver lining. It gave us the final nudge toward offering the exam online. Through diligent efforts by the late Michèle Hansen as 永利登录网址 Committee chair and Caron Bailey as 永利登录网址项目 manager at ATA Headquarters, in 2021 we were able to offer online exams at preset times, 与ExamRoom的合作伙伴合作.AI. 超过150名考生报名参加了此次在线考试, while fewer than 90 opted for the traditional format of bringing their own laptop to a physical proctored sitting.
In 2022, we took the next step of making the exam available on demand, rather than during specified time slots with a limited number of candidates. Candidates can now register for the exam and in some cases take it the same day. 这迫使永利登录网址重新思考一些事情. 最重要的是, 使用按需格式, it wasn’t feasible for us to have ATA proctors available 24/7 to supplement ExamRoom’s own proctors. 但是完全依靠监考人员, 他们不是翻译, 提出了永利登录网址的"拒绝名单"方法的问题, whereby candidates could access all of the internet apart from specifically prohibited sites, 比如DeepL. That’s why in 2022 we rolled out the “allow list”: a set of carefully selected web resources that are available to all candidates during the exam—to the exclusion of everything else. At last, the final puzzle piece was in place, allowing us to offer the exam on demand.
So, how did that work out, and how do things look for 2023? 去年永利登录网址看到了几个趋势:
- 需求上升, 甚至略高于2019年的“正常”数字, though still not up to the 500 or so who took the exam each year in the early and mid-2010s. Just under 300 people took the online exam, while a little over 120 sat for the exam in person.
- The ratio of in-person to online registrations was further skewed in the direction of the latter—hardly a surprising development given the sheer convenience of testing at home.
- Several prominent ATA chapters and affiliates chose to no longer sponsor exam sittings and instead referred their members to the online exam.
- 一些语言对的通过率有所提高, most likely due to qualified candidates who previously didn’t have access to the physical exam finally earning their certification.
- Technical issues with the online exam were few and far between and were often attributable to inadequate internet bandwidth due to throttling after a certain time by internet service providers, 或者有时是候选人自己的设备.
展望2023年, 考试内容的许多方面没有改变, but there are other things that we’re modifying or looking at closely.
- The exam year will continue to run roughly from April through September, 再加上参加ATA年会的机会. The six-month hiatus is necessary because of ATA Headquarters staffing constraints and to allow new passages to be selected, refined, 并集成到考场系统中.
- We’ll continue to allow chapters, affiliates, and other groups in the U.S. 组织物理静坐. However, we’ll closely monitor the level of interest in these sittings to determine whether this hybrid model of exam formats is worth continuing in 2024 and beyond.
- Effective this year, we’ll no longer have sittings outside the U.S. 管理海外的座位是非常昂贵的, 主要是由于更高的运费, and there’s always a risk of delays when exam materials are held up at customs or other red tape. Candidates in other countries now have an easy way to take the exam on their own schedule by registering for the online format.
- 说到钱, we’ll be taking a close look at the relative costs and whether an adjustment in the registration fee is warranted. Moving the exam online eliminates the need to rent facilities and pay proctors, though the overall impact on ATA Headquarters’ overhead is not yet clear.
- We’re working with ExamRoom to move the practice test to that platform as well. 除了加强行政程序外, this also has the advantage of allowing candidates to experience the interface in a lower-pressure situation, 所以当考试的时候, 这样就少了一件烦心的事. 幕后故事, we’re also hoping to move the grading process itself online, 这将大大简化操作.
对于ATA的永利登录网址项目来说,这是一个激动人心的时刻, and those of us who have been involved with it for many years occasionally have a sense of whiplash from all the changes. 除了这些可访问性方面的改进, the 永利登录网址 Committee is also hard at work making the exam even more equitable and consistent. 祝大家新年快乐!
新注册会员祝贺你! The following members have successfully passed ATA’s certification exam! 英语译成韩语 英语译成西班牙语 法语译成英语 Nolan E. Fielder Emily B. Toll 西班牙语翻译成英语 |
大卫·斯蒂芬森,康涅狄格州 是ATA永利登录网址委员会的主席. An ATA-certified German>English, Dutch>English, and Croatian>English translator, 他已经做了30多年的独立翻译, specializing in civil litigation and creative nonfiction. 他是2022年ATA影响力奖的获得者. david@bullcitylang.com