Three-Level Testing Program

Translation Skills Training™, having identified three distinct audiences in the field of Analytic Linguistics, has prepared a testing program for each one. Each successive exam is progressively more challenging, both in quantity (number of questions/time to complete) and quality (complexity of the questions).

Translation Skills Training™ tests six main skills that Analytic Linguists must possess (at a minimum of Interagency Language Roundtable [ILR] proficiency level 3) in order to ensure that they can satisfactorily perform their job functions.

  • Read and comprehend
  • Write in a professional register in English and Spanish
  • Speak English and Spanish at a professional level
  • Demonstrate critical thinking skills
  • Produce high-quality work under pressure

This testing program is designed in alignment with academic linguistics skills but augmented by criteria and rubrics to measure candidates’ proficiency levels in the added competencies required to decipher the jargon, colloquialisms, and slang captured in unstructured environments in order to produce accurate, comprehensive translations that can be used to support legal proceedings.

This testing event extends an existing framework for coordinating and sharing information about language-related activities established by a consortium of federal agencies entitled the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) to train specifically for the translation, transcribing, and monitoring of communication intercepts. Specifically, these are highly nuanced and finely-tuned skills that are not taught in college, and until TST created its training program, there was no formal training available and these skills could only be acquired through the process of on-the-job experience.

The three levels differ with respect to length and complexity, being designed for different populations in the field of Analytic Linguistics, thus:

English Assessment

Level One
Screening Assessment
50 Questions/1 hour and 45 minutes

As its name suggests, this is an exam to determine if a person is (1) sufficiently bilingual in both English and Spanish – and at a level of language competency in both – to be able to work as an Analytic Linguist, provided he/she could obtain clearance.

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Level Two
In-Service Assessment for Professional, Practicing Analytic Linguists
76 Questions/2 hours and 45 minutes

As its name suggests, this is an exam for Analytic Linguists currently employed as such and who are seeking advancement to a supervisory role.

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Level Three
Certified Analytic Linguist Professional™
Exam
100 Questions/4 hours

Only those who have successfully completed all six courses of Translation Skills Training™ (80%/ILR 3 in each course) are eligible to take this exam. While successful completion of TST’s program entitles one to a certificate as an Analytic Linguist, only this exam earns a person the professional designation of “Certified Analytic Linguist Professional™.”

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Spanish Assessment

Level One
Screening Assessment
50 Questions/1 hour and 45 minutes

As its name suggests, this is an exam to determine if a person is (1) sufficiently bilingual in both English and Spanish – and at a level of language competency in both – to be able to work as an Analytic Linguist, provided he/she could obtain clearance.

Add to Cart
Level Two
In-Service Assessment for Professional, Practicing Analytic Linguists
76 Questions/2 hours and 45 minutes

As its name suggests, this is an exam for Analytic Linguists currently employed as such and who are seeking advancement to a supervisory role.

Add to Cart
Level Three
Certified Analytic Linguist Professional™
Exam
100 Questions/4 hours

Only those who have completed successfully all six courses of Translation Skills Training (80%/ILR 3 in each course) are eligible to take this exam. While successful completion of TST’s program entitles one to a certification as an Analytic Linguist, only this exam earns a person the professional designation of “Certified Analytic Linguist Professional™.”

Add to Cart