We are proud to announce that we are continuing with our support of the assessment industry and are exhibiting at this years’ ATP Conference in Orlando. Our team is looking forward to showcasing how organizations across the assessment industry can find new ways to provide stakeholder value and to reach a broader audience by producing successful translations of their assessments.
The Association of Test Publishers (ATP) has been promoting and advancing the integrity and value of assessment services and products since 1992. This year, we are excited to be back together at an in-person event in Orlando for the first time since the pandemic outbreak. However, we fully understand that some people aren’t comfortable with this, so the Innovations in Testing event is going to be a hybrid, from the 20th to the 23rd of March 2022.
The Innovations in Testing Conference is the best opportunity to learn about and discuss issues in the assessment industry such as Equality, Accessibility and Diversity. At Comms Multilingual, we ensure that assessment materials are going to be translated fairly and accurately for each target language.
Let’s imagine an assessment is being translated into two target languages, German and Japanese. It is vital to ensure that the items are not just translated, but also localized and adapted as necessary to guarantee that the language versions are as equivalent as possible to the original language. This ensures fairness for all test takers, no matter which is their first language.
It is also very important to choose the right vocabulary for the target age group so that the test takers can properly understand the questions being asked and therefore be properly assessed.
“It’s key to specify the level of formality with which to address the reader”
In addition, you need to know the correct level of formality to use in languages such as German or Japanese. It would usually sound odd in a German business environment to address someone at a more senior level by their first name. The use of the formal “Sie” (meaning “you”) is the acceptable way of addressing someone in a business environment and it is also used for strangers and older people. In Japan, their language has various levels to express politeness and formality and it is important to get this right, in order to show respect.
To learn more about the translation of assessments for different audiences, please check this blog post.
If you have any questions for us about translation and localization but couldn’t attend the #ATP2022 event, then Sue Orchard and Karolina Ndlovu will be happy to hear from you.
