Examiners' Recommendations to DPSI Candidates & Course Providers

Every year, examiners are asked by CIOL Qualifications to provide recommendations on how candidates may be helped to perform better in the DPSI examination. Although not all candidates taking the examination have necessarily followed courses the examiners would like to provide the following advice to candidates, and also to course providers on how they can support their students in their preparations for the DPSI examination. This is a summary of advice gathered from the last few DPSI exam rounds.

 

1. Admissions policies

Course providers should check that DPSI candidates’ backgrounds are likely to provide a sufficient basis for them to be able to benefit from a programme of study preparatory to the DPSI examination. They should for example be competent in both English and their other language, preferably to a degree standard.

2. Programmes of study

Programmes of study should prepare candidates fully for the tasks facing them by:

• Covering all tasks tested in the DPSI examination including explaining the modular format of the examination.
• Emphasising the importance of knowing the format of the examination thoroughly as well as the level of language expected in the exam by referring the candidates to the DPSI Qualification Specification on the CIOL website.
• Covering English/Scottish/Northern Irish law/local government/health institutions and systems in the UK and encouraging candidates to study the equivalents in the context of the other language.  Encourage students to find and make use of web resources (legal proceedings, different types of courts including magistrate’s courts; NHS and local government websites etc.)
• Emphasising the importance of studying the other language as well as English. If lessons in the other language are not possible, encourage candidates to study with others taking the same language;  developing written skills is vital
• Providing language teaching geared towards the examination but including spelling, grammar and orthography
• Encouraging pooling useful websites
• Emphasising the importance of case systems for certain languages
• Emphasising the importance of consistent, correct use of diacritics for certain languages
• Emphasising the difference between formal and informal styles and different registers
• Reminding candidates NOT to provide alternative translations, the most suitable term should be chosen by the candidate
• Providing practice in the judicious use of dictionaries and other resources such as corpora, data bases, and original documents for emulation and term extraction and teaching candidates how to cross-reference monolingual and bilingual resources in order to find the correct term or word.
• Providing plenty of translating and interpreting practice, critical marking, and exposure to past examination papers
• Emphasising the importance of understanding the source text properly before beginning to translate
• Emphasising the importance of specialist terminology and helping candidates to build up term banks including names of UK institutions
• Emphasising the importance of reading and writing formal and informal letters and other documents in the chosen pathway both in English and the other language
• Impressing on candidates the need to write clearly and legibly
• Impressing on candidates the need to check through their written scripts for errors and faulty logic
• Emphasising the importance of the accuracy of the translation i.e. can the target audience act appropriately based on the translation?
• Impressing on candidates the importance of translation techniques and conventions including headings, paragraphs etc.
• Encouraging candidates to read as much as possible both in English and in their other language in general and in the chosen topic area in particular
• Encouraging candidates to practise timed translations and to practise time management in simulated timed exam-like conditions and reading through the translation thoroughly before submitting it
• Emphasising to candidates the need to keep up to date with current affairs and topical issues in their field and by alerting them to the availability of online newspapers for a number of languages (see language specific advice available on the CIOL website eg DPSI written markers’ reports)
• Stressing the need for understanding of the specialist subject area (Law, Health or Local Government)
• Teaching the conventions of letter writing in both languages
• Emphasising the importance of practice to gain confidence
• Encouraging candidates to visit open court hearings, hospitals, local authorities and other suitable institutions to observe real life public service interpreting situations, if at all possible; this would enable them to place themselves in the role of the interpreter. If visits are not possible, encourage candidates to read court transcripts from the law press or the internet; the same with local government (local council meetings, local press, information leaflets) and health issues (NHS websites, government health advice etc.).
• Arranging mock examinations if at all possible.

3. Skills and knowledge requirements for DPSI candidates

In order to pass the DPSI examination candidates must have the following skills and knowledge in English as well as their other language:

• A sound command of the structures in both languages, spoken & written, in particular grammar and syntax (specifically the use of tenses), word order, punctuation, stress and intonation, spelling of words and standard and specialist vocabulary
• The ability to select conjunctions that signal the intended relationship between text parts; selecting the wrong conjunction can alter the meaning of the text completely and fatally
• The ability to convey the meaning expressed in one language into the other in a coherent manner and avoiding word-for-word rendition
• Conventions for spoken and written language, including the use of formal and informal registers in both languages, salutations and leave-taking formulas in letters
• A well-developed lexicon of terminology required for the specialist pathways
• Background knowledge of the specialist pathway both in the UK and in the country/countries where the other language is spoken
• Time management skills.

 Other knowledge aspects:

• Knowledge of interpreting techniques and conventions
• Knowledge of translation techniques and conventions
• The ability to manage the interpreting situation and to take action if the interlocutors make it difficult for the candidate to interpret effectively
• Appropriate use of dictionaries
• Time management and checking written work
• The possible use of footnotes for annotations and explanations when terms are introduced for which no direct equivalent exists in the target language
• Knowledge of the format and marking criteria of the DPSI examination

Candidates should be encouraged to visit the CIOL website for up-to-date information and guidance on preparing for the examination.

On the DPSI Preparation page there are useful documents including Written Markers’ Reports with language specific advice, Frequently Asked Questions on Fatal Errors and Written Translations.