Developing Test Tasks to Assess the Components of Prospective Philologists’ Translation Competence = Розроблення тестових завдань для оцінювання сформованості у майбутніх філологів окремих компонентів перекладацької компетентності

Abstract

Taking into account intricate and congruent nature of translation competence, both formative and summative assessment of its components requires the development and application of diversified tools and procedures. That is why the given article is devoted to the research of perspective ways and opportunities for objective testing prospective philologists’ translation competence at large and its specific components in particular. No doubt, the idea of reducing testing subjectivity to a minimum has the top priority for teaching both foreign languages and translation. On the basis of current linguodidactic achievements in testing receptive and productive speech skills the author tries to transfer and adapt these ideas to the area of translation competence assessment. The central discrepancy lies in the concurrent requirements to elicit spontaneously and evaluate objectively real translation performance patterns that is nearly impossible in case of open-ended tests due to lots of factors, while much more objective matching, alternative and multiple-choice testing techniques limit and restrict students’ opportunity to demonstrate their actual ability and readiness to translate. The attempt to develop versatile test tasks to be utilized at different stages of the training process in order to monitor the acquisition of both declarative and procedural translation knowledge by the students, to direct and regulate the efficient translation process was taken. The article presents and comments on the examples of the developed test tasks to meet different needs in translation training. Their positive role as supplementary tools to facilitate evaluation objectivity and strengthen formative assessment positive effect in the general system of translation competence assessment was presumed and should be verified in further investigations.

Статтю присвячено дослідженню перспективних шляхів та потенційних можливостей для здійснення об'єктивного тестового контролю рівня сформованості у майбутніх філологів перекладацької компетентності загалом та певних її компонентів зокрема.