WLS

Words Language Services

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Telephone: (+-353-1) 6610240
Also: (+-353-1) 6688244
Fax: (+-353-1) 2857705
Email: trancourses@wls.ie

Northumberland House
44 Northumberland Road
Dublin 4
Ireland

Web: http: //www.wls.ie














2







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General Details Page 3
WLS Certificate in Translation Page 4
IOL Translation Diploma Page 5
Course Duration Page 6
Assignment Submission and Correction Page 7
Enrolment Procedure & Fees Pages 8-9
Materials Despatch & Delivery Page 10
Enrolment Form (Part 1) Page 11
Enrolment Form (Part 2) Page 12
Certificate Course Overview Page 13
Diploma Course Overview Page 14
Combined Course Overview Page 15
Company Information Page 16
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WLS






3




Courses Available
Distance learning preparation by email is offered for two qualifications: the WLS Certificate in
Translation and the London Institute of Linguists Translation Diploma. Three courses are
available catering for a variety of needs and levels of expertise:

1. WLS Certificate in Translation Course (focuses on commercial documents)
2. IOL Translation Diploma Course (focuses on journalism and published texts)
3. Combined Course (combines both courses 1 & 2)


Language Options
French to English English to French
Spanish to English English to Spanish
German to English English to German
Italian to English English to Italian
Portuguese to English English to Portuguese


Entry Requirements
For both qualifications participants must have linguistic competence in the source language
(language of texts to be translated) to graduate standard or equivalent (non-university
qualifications or time spent living or working in a source language country). Competence in
reading comprehension is particularly important. A very high standard of written expression is
also required in the target language, which should be students' mother tongue or language of
habitual use.


Course Structure
All courses consist of a set of materials which are available to download from our website or in
print form:
1. Notes covering course syllabus (see Pages 4 and 5)
2. Information on assessment or examination procedures
3. Practice assignments (8/16) to be worked and sent for correction by e-mail to a tutor.

Course Formats
Both courses 1 and 2 are available in Standard or Specific Options formats, the latter format
being suitable for students who wish to specialise in specific subject areas.




4




This course focuses on translating typical documents either a) handled by agencies and
companies in the commercial field or b) set by professional translator bodies in certifying
examinations (e.g. ATA, ITI etc).

Course Syllabus
General Theory of Translation
Use of dictionaries and reference works
Glossary compilation and research methods
Use of technological aids in translation
Specific translation procedures i.e. transference of SL grammar, lexis, punctuation, names,
book titles, measurements, cultural terms etc
Specific translation problems and suggested solutions occurring in the 8 subject areas of the
practice texts.

Subject Areas
The course focuses on 8 subject areas usual in commercial translation and is based on texts
which have been translated by WLS for clients (with their permission) or similar texts in the
public domain, as follows:
1. Short documents: letters, forms, certificates, labels etc
2. Marketing/Advertising/Tourism
3. Social/Political/EU documents
4. General Business inc. banking/accounts/insurance
5. Legal e.g. contracts, warranties, divorce decrees
6. Technical e.g. operating instructions, manuals
7. Scientific e.g. food, pharmaceutical, environment etc.
8. Computer e.g. - user menus, software manuals, help files

Coursework
Standard Course: One assignment is set for each of the 8 subject areas listed above. The
Standard Course is recommended for students with no translation experience.
Specific Options Courses: Students select, from the above list of 8, those subject areas which
most interest them or in which they have some experience and specify the number of
assignments they will take in each chosen subject area (subject to total maximum of 8).
Work in each assignment consists of:
a) analysis and discussion of translation problems and issues;
b) handling of typical phrases, vocabulary, expressions, acronyms or syntactical structures;
c) translation of 2 or 3 continuous text extracts or texts;
d) completion of assessment test.

Assessment & Certification
Assessment is continuous and is based on a rating given by the tutor for overall performance in
the assignment coursework at a), b) and c) above and marks obtained in the test at d). The test
is of multiple choice/questionnaire format focusing on translation theory and technique.
Coursework is rated acceptable or not acceptable based on certain criteria which are set out
and explained in the course materials. To be awarded a certificate, students must complete the
8 course assignments with a minimum of 6 acceptable ratings. Certificates, which list the
translation areas covered, are not graded but passed with special merit is added for
exceptional overall performance.

Further Information
See Certificate Course Overview, Page 13, for more detailed description of course content
and level.


5




This course offers preparation for the London Institute of Linguists Translation Diploma
Examination held each January at venues around the world.

Course Syllabus
Overview of various translation theories and terminology
Text Analysis
Translation Problems
Guidelines for providing translators notes in the examination
Effective use of dictionaries and reference works
Specialised translation - business and technical terminology; research methods; glossary
compilation

Subject Areas
The course is focused on the 7 examination subject areas listed below and consists of past
papers or similar articles/texts from journalistic, literary or legal sources:
1. General Translation (comment/ features articles)
2. Technology (newspaper technology section or similar)
3. Business (The Economist type publication)
4. Literature (usually extract from modern novel)
5. Science (articles from New Scientist type)
6. Social Science (newspapers, journal/book extracts)
7. Law (newspapers, legal journals, misc. legal texts)

Coursework
Standard Course: Two assignments are set for general translation and one for each of the
remaining 6 subject areas.
Specific Options Courses: Students select, from the above list, those subject areas which
most interest them and specify the number of assignments they will take in each chosen subject
area (subject to total maximum of 8 assignments).
Standard Course with Additional Assignments: Students take the Standard Course with 8
assignments as above, and may select up to 4 additional assignments in the subject areas of
their choice.

Work in each assignment is based on 2 SL texts:
Text 1 is used for text analysis and commentary on techniques, procedures and translation
problems.
Text 2 is for translation.

Examination & Certification
The examination consists of 3 papers, as outlined below. All 3 papers must be passed to be
awarded the Diploma. The standard Diploma is ungraded but grades of Merit and Distinction
exist for better performance in individual papers.
Paper 1: (3 hours) General translation. Translation of non-specialised text (usually newspaper
article) of about 600 words.
Paper 2: (2 hours) Semi-specialised translation.
Translation of one 450-word text. Choice between (a) Technology, (b) Business or (c)
Literature.
Paper 3. (2 hours) Semi-specialised Translation. Translation of one 450-word text. Choice
between (d) Science, (e) Social Science or (f) Law.


Further Information
See Diploma Course Overview, Page 14 for more detailed description of course content and
level and Enrolment Procedure and Fees, Page 8, for information on Additional Assignments.


6





There is no fixed duration for any course as students have complete flexibility with the timing of
assignment submission. Please note however, that the Certificate & Diploma courses must be
completed within 3 years and the Combined Course within 5 years. Students are
automatically removed from our register after 3 or 5 years, as relevant, from the date of
allocation of their student registration number (date of materials despatch). Tutors are available
for corrections throughout the year but may be unavailable for short periods due to illness,
holiday, work pressure etc. Corrected work is emailed back within 10 days of receipt, as far as
possible, but obviously there may be times when the 10-day return schedule cannot be met.
The following table sets out the minimum* and maximum durations for each course.

Course Duration Enrolment Dates
Min. Max.
WLS Certificate Course 3 months 3 years Enrolment is open throughout the year
IOL Diploma Course 3 months 3 years Enrolment is open throughout the year, but students should
ensure that they enrol in sufficient time to complete the course
before the date of IOL diploma examination for which they have
registered or plan to register.
Combined Course 6 months 5 years Enrolment is open throughout the year, but students should
ensure that they enrol in sufficient time to complete the course
before the date of IOL diploma examination for which they have
registered or plan to register.

*The time periods given are the expected minimum timeframes with continuous submission and return of
assignments. Such continuity may not always be possible to achieve. Nevertheless, in cases of pressing necessity, for
example, an approaching examination date, it may be possible to complete the course in a shorter period of time. In
most cases, however, a longer timeframe will be more realistic and advantageous.

Extension of Timeframe
The 3 and 5 year timeframes for course completion may be extended by 2 and 4 months respectively in the
following circumstances:
(i) In the case of the 3-year timeframe (Certificate/Diploma enrolments), if at least 5 assignments have
been corrected and returned, and the 6
th
assignment submitted for correction, 7 days prior to the 3
rd

anniversary of course enrolment.
(ii) In the case of the 5-year timeframe (Combined Course enrolments), if at least 11 assignments have
been corrected and returned and, the 12
th
assignment submitted for correction, 7 days prior to the 5
th

anniversary of course enrolment.
(iii) Notification in writing of an extension request, accompanied by the appropriate extension fee (see
Page 8), is received by our office prior to the 3
rd
or 5
th
anniversaries of course enrolment.
No further extensions are given. Where the above conditions for extension are not met, enrolment lapses on
the 3
rd
or 5th anniversary of course enrolment. The anniversary date is based on date of allocation of
student number, issued approximately 1 week from receipt of enrolment form.

Note: No extension of timeframes is given for any additional assignments ordered by Diploma Course
students with the original enrolment or during the currency of the original enrolment. Where assignments
are ordered by Diploma Course students after the original enrolment expires, one month per assignment is
allowed, which is not extendable. Certificate Course students who need to submit additional assignments to
acquire certification will also be allowed one month per assignment, regardless of whether their original
enrolment period is still current when they complete their course. (See Enrolment Procedure and Fees,
Page 8, for further information on ordering Additional Assignments).

WLS






General Procedure
The courses may be followed from anywhere in the world, using email. On enrolment, each
student is assigned a tutor whose contact details are included with course materials. Students
may commence the course at any time after receipt of materials. The usual procedure is to
submit assignments for correction one at a time i.e. student completes Assignment 1 and sends
it to tutor for correction and in the meantime works on Assignment 2. On receipt of corrected
Assignment 1, student sends Assignment 2 and begins work on Assignment 3 and so on until
course is completed. This gradual completion procedure is pedagogically preferable and also
ensures more balanced and rapid corrections. Arrangements may, however, be made, if
necessary, to submit two or more assignments together.


Correction Method
Tutors provide corrections directly on the work submitted and explanations and guidance in a
tutor's report on each assignment, together with suggestions for action, remedial work and/or
further reading. The correction content is completely personalised and does not adhere to any
pre-set or formatted answers. Work is assessed for professional acceptability on the basis of
specific marking criteria, details of which are provided in the course materials.


Tutors
All tutors are qualified and experienced translators, with relevant teaching experience. Each
tutor is a mother-tongue speaker of the student's target language.


Further Information
A file of sample materials covering the 3 course types is available by email. To order, please
send your name and source language to trancourses@wls.ie.
Telephone enquiries:(+353 1)6610240



8


1



Course Type Delivery Format Course Fees
GB US$
CAN$
AUS$ CHF
1 WLS Certificate downloaded from our website 425 365 595 660 755 650
IOL Diploma by post as printed text (within Europe) 505 440 705 785 900 770
Standard by post as printed text (outside Europe) 515 450 720 800 915 785
2 WLS Certificate with 1-2 non-standard assignments*
IOL Diploma downloaded from our website 505 440 705 785 900 770
Specific Options by post as printed text (within Europe) 585 510 815 910 1040 890
by post as printed text (outside Europe) 595 520 830 925 1055 915
with 3-4 non-standard assignments
downloaded from our website 585 510 815 910 1040 890
by post as printed text (within Europe) 665 580 925 1035 1180 1010
by post as printed text (outside Europe) 675 590 940 1050 1200 1025
with 5-7
#
non-standard assignments
downloaded from our website 695 605 970 1080 1235 1055
by post as printed text (within Europe) 775 675 1080 1205 1375 1175
by post as printed text (outside Europe) 785 685 1095 1220 1395 1190
3 Combined downloaded from our website 745 650 1035 1160 1325 1125
Course by post as printed text (within Europe) 835 725 1165 1295 1485 1265
by post as printed text (outside Europe) 845 735 1180 1310 1500 1280
Additional downloaded from our website 80 70 110 125 145 120
Assignments


Fees for Extension of Timeframe (if applicable) 100 90 140 155 175 150

Fee Discount: 10% for a 2nd enrolment
2


Examination Fees (Diploma only)
Applicable only for those taking the Diploma in Translation examination and payable to the Institute of Linguists by end
August in year preceding examination. Current fees are GB480 approx. for 3 papers. Centre fees are also payable
which vary from centre to centre. WLS Centre Fees are Eur140-160. Full details regarding examination registration
procedure are enclosed with course materials.
* Specific Options Course Fees - General
Fees for Specific Options courses are based on the number of non-standard assignments requested. In Specific
Options courses, the first assignment in any subject area is the same as the standard course assignment for that
area and any additional assignments requested are non-standard. Thus, a student who requests 3 assignments in
Business and one each in 5 other subject areas will pay the fee corresponding to 2 non-standard assignments (the 2
extra assignments in the Business subject area). A student who requests 4 assignments each in Science and
Technology will have 6 non-standard assignments and will pay the corresponding fee.

# Specific Options Course Fees with 7 non-standard assignments
A Specific Options course with 7 non-standard assignments means a course concentrating on one subject area (the
first assignment is the standard assignment for that subject area as explained above, followed by 7 non-standard
assignments in the same subject area). This type of course is fully available only for the Diploma course (see
Enrolment Form Part 2, Page 12). Applicants wishing to take the WLS Certificate course with all assignments in one
subject area are advised that such courses are available only in a limited number of subject areas and source
languages and fees may exceed those quoted above. The limited availability and higher fees are due to difficulties in
sourcing and supplying sufficient authentic texts in the same subject area with the specialisation and variety
characteristic of those used in the Certificate course. If you are interested in taking the WLS Certificate Course on a
Specific Options basis in one subject area only, please contact our office by phone or email to check availability and
fees. (See also Certificate Course Overview, Page 13).

1
Valid from June 1
st
2009 until further notice.
2
Two people enrolling at the same time or the same person enrolling for a second course.


9


(continued)


Course Enrolment
Enrolment is open throughout the year and is effected by printing and completing the enrolment form on page 10 and
sending it to our office by post, fax or email (scanned) with fees or fee transfer confirmation, if applicable (see
Payment Method below). The course may be followed from anywhere in the world.

Enrolments with Additional Assignments
Both the Certificate and Diploma courses, whether taken on a Standard or Specific Options basis, consist of 8
assignments. Additional assignments, i.e. more than 8, may be taken, but they serve different purposes in the
Certificate and Diploma Courses. The situation with ordering additional assignments therefore also varies between the
two courses:
Certificate Course: The coursework submitted is continually assessed for certification purposes on the basis of 8
course assignments. Therefore additional assignments are ordered only on completion of the course, if necessary, i.e.
if a student has not got sufficient ratings in the original 8 assignments for award of a certificate (see Certificate
Course Overview, Page 13, under Follow-on study/Certification).
Diploma Course: The coursework is submitted for practice and feedback and is not formally assessed (awarding of
the Diplomas depends on passing the IOL examination). Additional assignments therefore serve the purpose of extra
practice and may be ordered on enrolment or on completion of the course. For example, a student may take the
standard Diploma course to have experience of all the examination subject areas but might wish to have some
additional practice in those areas which s/he is more likely to take in the examination or might wish to take some
additional assignments in preparation for a re-sit of any part of the examination (see also Diploma Course
Overview, Page 14, under Follow-on Study/Certification).
Note: The maximum number of Additional Assignments that may be ordered at any one time is 4. Thus, a student who
orders 4 Additional Assignments on enrolment could order a further 4 on completion of the course or on receipt of
examination results etc.


Payment Method
Payment may be made by cheque, bank draft (cashiers check), postal/money order in any of the 6 currencies listed
above (other currencies may be acceptable please enquire). Cheques/drafts etc should be made payable to WLS -
Words Language Services. If sending a postal order, please ensure that it is one which may be lodged to a bank
account. (Please note that postal giro cash transfers or similar are not acceptable payment methods). Alternatively
you can transfer funds directly into our bank account as follows:
Bank: Permanent TSB Bank (Irish Life & Permanent PLC), 2-4 Upper Baggot Street, Dublin 4 Ireland
Account Name: WLS
IBAN Number ( for transfers from countries in Europe): IE70 IPBS 9906 2600 3545 11
Account Number (for transfers from countries outside Europe
3
& within Ireland): 00354511; Branch Code: 990626
Bank Identifier Number: (or BIC for Europe, Swift/ABA for US and elsewhere): IPBSIE2D
4
.
Please ensure that any charges are debited to your account and not ours. Please also ask the sending bank to supply
your name as a reference on the transfer order so that we can identify your payment.

Note: Payments being made in the Eurozone area (except within Ireland) should preferably be effected by
bank transfer as cheques in Euros may take a number of weeks to clear, which may affect enrolment
processing time.

3
Certain countries may also use the European IBAN system. In this case, give the IBAN number as above.
4
This number identifies the bank head office and country in which the office is based. Unlike some Swift/ABA numbers, it does
not identify the bank branch holding the account for this reason the Branch Code given above beside the account number must
be used for all transfers from abroad where the IBAN is not used.


10




Delivery Formats
Download from website: If you choose this type of delivery, you will receive by email your
student number and tutor contact details, together with a URL, user name, password and
instructions which will allow you to access on our website the file or files which contain your
materials. Once you access the file(s), you should save them to your hard disk or print out the
content. These files contain ALL the course materials, including notes and total number of
assignments for the particular course. Once you access them and save or print the content,
you will not need to access our website again i.e. you will not need to be online to consult or
study the materials, retrieve later assignments or complete your assignments.
Print Format: If you choose this type of delivery, you will receive by post your student number
and tutor contact details and a folder containing ALL your course materials, including notes and
total number of assignments.
We recommend that you opt for website download as materials in this form makes
information easier to find and is preferable for study purposes. This type of delivery is
also faster.

File Format
The website files are in PDF (portable document format), which allows files to be viewed and
printed in any computer platform, without needing to have the same application, fonts or
operating system used to create the file. To open, view and print the files you will need to install
Acrobat Reader, available as a free download from www.adobe.com.

Despatch Times
Website delivery: Access details for Standard Courses including the Combined Course are
normally emailed to you within 5 working days of receipt of enrolment form, while Specific
Options access details take between 7 and 15 working days.
Print Format: Standard course materials are normally despatched within 10 working days of
receipt of enrolment while Specific Options courses take between 12 and 20 working days.
Print materials are despatched via express airmail or first class post (depending on destination)
but delivery to some destinations, especially in Africa and Far East, may take a number of
weeks.

Note 1:
The times given above refer to despatch, not delivery i.e. the time taken from RECEIPT of
enrolment to send your website access details or despatch print materials. Working days
means business days, not calendar days. Thus 5 working days normally means one calendar
week.
Note 2:
(i) Enrolments cannot be processed without a fully completed enrolment form even if fee
payment has already been made in full by bank transfer.
(ii) Enrolments received in order and expected to be processed within the timeframes set out
above are not acknowledged until full processing is complete. At this time, you will receive
a combined receipt/confirmation of enrolment that contains your name and postal
address, course enrolled in and fee amount paid, as well as the access details for the
course materials and tutor contact details. This document may be printed and used for
tax, employer reimbursement purposes etc. If, in the meantime, you require confirmation
of receipt or status of your enrolment, please email trancourses@wls.ie giving your full
name, course applied for, fee amount paid, form of payment and date and method of
sending the enrolment form.




11

(from June 1
st
2009)

Part 1 To be completed by all applicants.

Name:_______________________________________________________________________________________


Address: ____________________________________________________________________________________


Phone: ____________________________________ (day) ______________________________________ (eve)


Email: ___________________________________________


Source Language (SL): ______________________Target Language (TL): __________________________


Mother Tongue: _________________________SL Qualifications : __________________________________


If no formal qualifications, how was knowledge acquired? ______________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________


Other Education: ____________________________________________________________________________


Translation Experience (if any): ______________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

How did you hear about this course? ______________________________________________________


Course Required (please tick or circle):
1. Certificate Course Standard or Specific Options
2. Diploma Course Standard or Specific Options or
Standard with Additional Assignments
3. Combined Course

Delivery Format (please tick/circle): download from website print


Fee enclosed/transferred (please see fees schedule on page 8): _______________________________

Signed: ________________________________________ Date: ______________________________

Go to next page only if you have ticked Specific Options or (Diploma) Standard with Additional Assignments above



Conditions of Enrolment:
Fees or fee transfer confirmation must accompany enrolment form and are refundable only if places are not available for immediate commencement
or an applicant is considered unsuitable for the course. No refunds or credits are given in respect of courses not commenced or completed.

W.L.S. - Words Language Services, 44 Northumberland Road, Dublin 4, Ireland.
Tel: +353-1-6610240, Fax: +353-1-2857705
Email: trancourses@wls.ie Web: http://www.wls.ie



12

(from June 1
st
2009)

Part 2 To be completed only by those who have ticked Certificate or Diploma Course Specific Options or
Standard Diploma course with Additional Assignments on previous page.

Name: _____________________________________________________________________



Please select your subject area options by entering the number of course assignments required in the
relevant box for each subject area you wish to take.


WLS Certificate Subject Areas


IOL Diploma Subject Areas

Before choosing please note:
Total number of assignments per Specific Options course
must not exceed 8.
The maximum number of assignments allowed for any
one subject area is usually 4 (see Page 8).
(For Information: the Standard Certificate Course consists
of one assignment for each of the 8 subject areas.)


Before choosing please note:
Total number of assignments per Specific Options course
must not exceed 8.
All of the 8 course assignments may be taken in the same
subject area, if required.
The total number of Additional Assignments ordered in
conjunction with a Standard Course may not exceed 4.
(For Information: The Standard Diploma Course consists
of two assignments in general translation and one
assignment in each of the other subject areas below).

Short Documents No. of Assignments

Marketing/Advert./Tourism No. of Assignments

Social/Political/EU No. of Assignments

General Business No. of Assignments

Legal Documents No. of Assignments

Technical No. of Assignments

Scientific No. of Assignments

Computer No. of Assignments

Total Number


i) General No. of Assignments

ii) Technology No. of Assignments

iii) Business No. of Assignments

iv) Literature No. of Assignments

v) Science No. of Assignments

vi) Social Science No. of Assignments

vii) Law No. of Assignments



Total Number





WLS









W.L.S. - Words Language Services, 44 Northumberland Road, Dublin 4, Ireland.
Tel: +353-1-6610240, Fax: +353-1-2857705
Email: trancourses@wls.ie Web: http://www.wls.ie





General Comments: The WLS Certificate in Translation is a qualification designed to offer an
accessible and flexible entry route to the translation profession to those of high linguistic ability,
but with no or limited experience in translation. It also serves as preparation for examinations
set by professional bodies such as the Institute of Translating and Interpreting, American
Translators Association or those set by employers or translation agencies. The course should
not be considered an easier option than the Diploma course as many of the texts used are
more specialised.
Course Structure: No knowledge of translation procedures is assumed and the course is
structured to allow progression from straightforward to more complex texts and from general to
specialised vocabulary, but without editing the texts to eliminate difficulties. A variety of text
types and styles is used to provide training in handling individual words, phrases, terms and
continuous text. Emphasis is also placed on developing the translators awareness of
translation issues and approaches to finding solutions, especially in the area of vocabulary
research.
Subject Areas: The 8 chosen for the standard course are typical areas in commercial
translation and are a representative example of the type of documents translators could expect
to encounter if working professionally or if taking a test set by employers or professional bodies.
The Standard Course, embracing all the subject areas, is the recommended option for most
students without previous translation experience.
Specific Options Format: Provides an opportunity to concentrate on the subject areas where
students may wish to pursue a career or in which they may be already working. Students
choosing this route, especially those focusing on a limited number of subject areas (1-3), should
have some experience/knowledge of their chosen area/(s) e.g. a lawyer wishing to specialise in
legal translation. Alternatively, the format can be used to eliminate one or more subject areas
which are not of interest i.e. an applicant could eliminate the Technical and Computing
assignments and take two additional assignments in Business instead.
Follow-on Study/Certification: Additional assignments are available for students who have not
reached the required standard in at least 6 of the 8 course assignments. The subject areas may
be chosen for the assignments to be resubmitted. This is a flexible solution for those with
overall aptitude, but experiencing difficulties in certain subject areas, or those who simply
require more practice. A full explanation of the requirements for certification is given in the
course materials.
Student Profile: This course is best suited to:
Those with no or minimal translation experience
Those with some translation or relevant work experience who wish to concentrate on a
certain area or areas i.e. computers, law, business (Specific Options Courses).


14




General Comments: The Institute of Linguists Translation Diploma examination is intended
for working translators or those of high linguistic competence at least equivalent to a good
Honours degree in languages. In practice, however, the examination structure strongly favours
those with professional translation experience as evidenced by the large numbers of practising
translators who take the examination. The texts, drawn mainly from quality journalism, present
a range of complex syntactical issues which are difficult for the inexperienced to resolve within
the time constraints of an examination, regardless of linguistic ability or training.
Examination: Consists of 3 papers, as outlined on Page 5, all held on the same day in late
January each year. There is an option to sit Paper 1 only the first year and if successful, to sit
Papers 2 & 3 the following year. Worldwide venues are available or may be arranged.
Course Structure: Geared to the Diploma examination and based on past papers, which are
similar in level of difficulty, style and source. These factors make it difficult to design a graded
course reflecting the variety of translation issues presented by different text types. Thus,
knowledge of basic translation procedures is assumed and the course concentrates on
perfecting techniques rather than acquiring them. The emphasis generally is on resolving
syntactical issues in continuous text, rather than the terminology/lexical focus required by
commercial documents.
Subject Areas: The examination syllabus covers 7 broad subject areas: 1 general (Paper 1)
and 6 semi-specialised (Papers 2 & 3), these latter drawn from published, academic or
journalistic sources often aimed at an interested but non-specialised readership. This means
that again any difficulty in these texts will lie more in syntactical issues and the wide range of
subject matters rather than specialised vocabulary content.
Specific Options Format: The decision about which options to take in Papers 2 & 3 is made on
the day of the examination. In general, therefore, it is advisable to be prepared to tackle all or
most areas. The Specific Options Format is, however, useful for those who have definitely
decided to focus on certain subject areas or those re-sitting parts of the Diploma examination.
Follow-on Study/Certification: Additional assignments are available for those who feel they
need more practice in preparation for the examination or for those unsuccessful in any part of
the exam. (See page 9 for full details). Certification is dependent on passing all 3 Diploma
papers. Candidates have the option of sitting all 3 papers on the same day or taking Paper 1
only and, if successful, taking Papers 2 & 3 the following year.
Student Profile: This course is best suited to:
Those already working professionally as translators who wish to obtain formal qualifications
Those with a very high level of academic achievement in SL and some experience in
translation (not necessarily professional)
Those re-sitting all or part of the Diploma examination
Those who have successfully completed the WLS certificate or a similar-type qualification


15




General Comments: This option is recommended for inexperienced translators who have an
interest in acquiring the IOL Diploma in Translation. Students complete the certificate course
syllabus first and then proceed to the diploma course. While the course structure allows for its
completion within a one-year time-frame, it may be staged over 2 or more years as students are
not confined to a fixed duration.
Course Structure: As described above for the Certificate and Diploma courses.
Subject Areas: The course covers the Standard Format subject areas of both the Certificate
and Diploma courses the Specific Options Format is not available with the Combined Course.
Follow-on Study/Certification: As described above for the certificate and diploma courses.
Student Profile: This course is best suited to:
Those without translation experience interested in obtaining the IOL Diploma in Translation
Those interested in a career in literary or journalistic translation rather than in the
commercial field.




16





WLS - Words Language Services was established in 1988 to provide language training for
adults and a professional translating and interpreting service for companies and individuals.
The company now operates on a national and international basis, providing language services
and training to a large number of public and private enterprises, Government agencies and
individuals.


Language Training Activities
Foreign languages for general purposes

Foreign languages for professional purposes

English as a Foreign Language

Translation Diploma Course

Translation Certificate Course

Teleservices Course

In-Company Courses

Fully qualified native teaching staff

Internationally recognised examinations

Translation Activities
Translation of all document types

Provision of interpreters

Software localisation

Website translation




WLS





W.L.S. - Words Language Services, 44 Northumberland Road, Dublin 4, Ireland.
Tel: +353-1-6610240, Fax: +353-1-2857705
Email: trancourses@wls.ie Web: http://www.wls.ie