This project, developed by Department of European Cultures and Languages from Birkbeck was a great opportunity for me to test and train my translation skills and has helped me in evaluating my understanding of my source languages.
Although I translate into Romanian and the project does not offer training materials for Romanian translators, I found the German and English practice texts intriguing and the translation alternatives proposed as solutions helped me evaluate my understanding of the source text. The project offers summer schools, an online training program and the possibility to take an exam. If the exam is passed, the translator can enter their information in a database which will function as a directory of translation professionals. The strong point of this directory would be the fact that it lists only translators who have undergone training and were able to pass the examination, providing thus a filter in a profession where it is easy to get the trappings of status without being actually capable of doing the job.