Resources: NAATI CT Preparation Guides and Glossary

Guides

Each guide answers one question you are likely to have while preparing.

How the CT rubric dimensions work

Task A is scored on three independent dimensions and Task B on two; each has its own pass line, so one weak dimension can fail a task.

The CT rubric uses bands from 1 (highest) to 5 (lowest). For Task A, meaning transfer and language proficiency require Band 2 or above, while application of textual norms and conventions requires Band 3 or above. For Task B, revision skills require Band 2 or above and error categorisation Band 3 or above.

Because the dimensions are scored independently, an excellent score in one cannot compensate for a weak score in another. Pass-line numbers are also not comparable across dimensions: always read each band against its own descriptor.

Task A vs Task B: what changes

Task A tests producing a translation; Task B tests finding, classifying and fixing errors in someone else's.

In Task A you translate a non-specialised text of about 250 words for the purpose and audience in the Translation Brief. Read the brief first: it decides register, terminology and how literal you can be.

In Task B you revise a translation with seeded errors. Read the full source and target before marking anything, correct only what is wrong, and make sure each correction is assigned to the right category — unnecessary changes can introduce new errors.

A weekly review routine that works

Alternate new texts with focused review of your top weak points, and compare bands week by week rather than text by text.

Single scores are noisy because texts vary in difficulty. Look at band trends per dimension over a week or a month, and compare like with like by filtering on difficulty tier.

After every graded text, spend as long on the review as on the translation: read the error list, question the verdicts you disagree with, and add the sentence patterns and expressions you missed to your review library.

Handling long and nested English sentences

Find the main clause first, map each modifier to what it modifies, then rebuild the sentence in natural Chinese order.

Most meaning-transfer errors in harder texts come from misreading structure: participial phrases, stacked relative clauses, or a main verb pushed far to the end. Before translating, locate the subject and main verb and label each modifier.

Chinese usually prefers shorter clauses and puts background before the main point. Splitting a sentence is acceptable when it keeps every relation intact; dropping a relation is an omission.

Glossary

Terms used in the CT rubric and in feedback.

NAATI CT: The Certified Translator credential test run by NAATI, Australia's national translator and interpreter accreditation authority.
Band: A level on the five-point assessment scale, where Band 1 is the highest and Band 5 the lowest.
Translation Brief: The task instructions stating the domain, text type, purpose and target audience of the translation.
Meaning transfer: How accurately the intent and content of the source message are conveyed in the translation.
Textual norms and conventions: Register, style, text structure and terminology appropriate to the genre and audience in the target language.
Distortion: A rendering that changes the meaning of the source text.
Unjustified omission or addition: Leaving out, or adding, content without a reason grounded in the brief or the target language.
Major vs minor error: A major error affects the intent, function or the reader's understanding; a minor error only reduces precision.

Official sources

For exam rules, fees, eligibility and booking, always rely on the official source.

NAATI
The official website for the Certified Translator test, its assessment rubrics and candidate information.

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