How to pass the DipTrans

Written by: Tomas Brogan
Published: 31 January 2025

I passed the Diploma in Translation (DipTrans), working from Dutch to English, in two sittings. In a perfect world the three exam papers would be passed in one sitting. Alas. In my case I passed two papers first time, and failed one. A year later I resat the failed paper and was given a distinction for that part of the exam. Here is my take on the value of the DipTrans qualification – and how to pass it.

High-level translation skills

The UK-based DipTrans exam is set at Master’s level by the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL), and accredited by the government’s qualifications office (Ofqual). It is renowned as a tough test of your translation skills, since the measure of your translation is whether it could be used for professional purposes. At heart the concept is simple: choose your source and target language, pay £895 and sit three exams with access to paper resources only. If you pass, you join the ranks of DipTrans holders for life.

To obtain a distinction in the exam there must be evidence of complete comprehension of the source text, no transfer of meaning can be missed, and all target-language conventions must be adhered to. For a merit or a pass some slip-ups may be acceptable, for example with punctuation or spelling. But too many small mistakes or one incorrect transfer of meaning can result in a fail for that paper. Any combination of passing grades across the three exams (pass/merit/distinction) will result in a ‘pass’ for the DipTrans as a whole.

The ideal qualification for translators?

Whether the DipTrans is ideal for you will depend on a few factors. It can be useful for translators with a university education in languages and some translation experience who are looking for a translation-specific qualification before they approach agencies. In this case the DipTrans is an excellent option as holding the exam will boost your confidence, as well as your clients’ confidence in your work.

The DipTrans can also be seen as a quicker and cheaper alternative to an MA in Translation. Finally, when applying for the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) Qualified Translator assessment, holding the DipTrans, along with references and Continuing Professional Development (CPD), can obviate the need to sit an ITI translation test, which again shows the DipTrans’ worth in the translation business.

Pricing

The price can initially be off-putting, particularly if you consider that resitting one exam paper will cost up to £500. However, remember that the DipTrans is a serious piece of CPD that proves you can translate at a high level. Because sitting two exams is almost as expensive as sitting all three, there are two basic strategies. First, you can sit all three exams at once and hope for the best possible result. Second, you can take one exam at a time. The second strategy would however cost £1,270 instead of £895 if all papers are passed on the first try – and this strategy could take a lot longer. Once one exam is passed, you have three years to pass the remaining exams before the ‘pass’ expires.

Three remote exams without internet access

In addition to the translation of a three-hour, 650-word general text, you will choose two semi-specialized papers of 450 words from the following subjects: technology, business, literature, science, social science, arts and culture, and law. Both of these papers are two hours in length.

The exams take place twice a year, in January and July. When I sat the exams in 2022 and 2023 they were spread out over two days, with the general translation exam on the first day. The exam has to be taken at your place of residence (do not book a hotel!) and as you might have guessed, it has to be quiet because you must be undisturbed for the duration of the exam, which is recorded and proctored remotely. It is then a lengthy three-month wait for the results.

Paper reference works only

Only paper resources can be used, which is a great excuse to bring out the old-school dictionary nerd in all of us. You will want all your good dictionaries and a great thesaurus. An up-to-date target language dictionary is a must. Subject-specific dictionaries, works on idioms or punctuation and style guides are all helpful. If you are well prepared, you will most likely not use these, and you will not have time for extensive research in any case. But having a pile of reference works at the back of your desk does calm the nerves somewhat.

Note that in-person exams may also be available, check the CIOL website for details.

Sounds good, but how do you actually pass the exam?

If you’re like me, you’ll want to pass the DipTrans in the most efficient way possible. The time investment is considerable and while a couple of misses is par for the course, failing papers can quickly get frustrating – and expensive. To pass as quickly as possible, I recommend the following:

• Find a DipTrans training provider who will advise you which course to take and will assign you a tutor. I used and can recommend www.translator-training.com. My tutor’s advice was invaluable. See the CIOL list of recommended providers here.

• Practice. By the time I obtained the diploma, I had completed over 25 DipTrans papers in exam conditions. It might sound like overkill, but unless you have tons of experience you will need to invest a lot of time and money to have a serious chance of passing the exam. You need to regularly find two or three hours to write the practice exams, plus time to consider the feedback you are getting.

• Digest the feedback from your tutor (i.e. identify your ‘favourite mistakes’). Do you consistently misspell certain words or accidentally use homophones? Your tutor will flag your errors, but it is up to you to collate and learn from them. Categorizing your errors will help you improve.

• Find and consistently execute your exam strategy. To save time, you will want to have as many logistical decisions as possible made before you enter the ‘exam room’. Which of the semi-specialized papers will you choose? Will you read through the entire text first or begin translating immediately? What will your final checks consist of? My strategy for a two-hour paper of 450 words was 30 minutes reading of the source text followed by translation of 40% of it, then 20%, then 40%, then 15 minutes revision. The point is to have time markers so you know how much time you have left – know this and you will know when to accept a reasonable solution to a translation problem, instead of a perfect one.

• Time management goes down to the next level. When organizing your revision of the paper after writing, the checks you carry should be completed one at a time and preferably in a set order that remains the same for every paper you write. Check that your translation has the same number of paragraphs as the source text. (Missing more than 5% of the source text will result in a fail.) Check that all dates are correct. Check that all names are spelt correctly. Check every subject-verb agreement. Check that all sentences end with a full stop. Check whether cultural terms are correctly translated. It can be difficult not to just ‘work on the paper’, but having the discipline to check one thing at a time will pay off.

• Be ready for the unexpected. Just like in real life, sometimes the source text is not perfect. Stepping back and looking at the text as a whole will help, for instance when the last sentence of one paragraph would be better at the beginning of the next one. Depending on your level of experience, translation problems like this or, to use another example, French or German words appearing in a Dutch source text, might throw you off. When issues like this cause a ‘user error/brain freeze’ in the exam, keep moving and come back later.

• Trust yourself. The 2018 edition of the Collins English Dictionary does not have the word ‘humanities’ in it. Cue exam room panic. Is it a word? Is there a better solution? Will I fail on this? Sometimes you will have to lean on your common sense and translation experience so as not to waste too much time.

• Be relentless in questioning your language choices. One of the most important skills in the exam is to continue doubting your language decisions, or at least to subject every decision to doubt.

The DipTrans is a rigorous exam that can help you achieve your career goals. The standard is high and unwavering, which will set you apart when applying to agencies and for employment. If you choose to take the exam, set aside at least six months to prepare, work with a tutor and celebrate every improvement. With intensive preparation the exam is achievable for university language graduates with some experience in translation.

In each stage you need to be obsessive about your interpretation of the information in the source language and word choice in the target language. Do this and stick to your timings, and you’ll have a great chance of passing.