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Accents and other diacritical marks
The conventions of the target language should be followed consistently. If incorrect or missing diacritical marks obscure the meaning, the error is more serious.
Addition or omission
Meaning is added or lost.
Examples: An outcry in the Middle East vs. An outcry in this sector of the Middle East
No, you can't go vs. You can't go
Ambiguity
If the meaning is clear in the source text but ambiguous in the translation, an error may be marked. The reader should not have to decipher the meaning.
Examples in English:
To reduce risks to the human embryo, in-depth studies on suitable laboratory animals are needed. (clear)
In-depth studies on suitable laboratory animals are required to reduce risks to the human embryo. (ambiguous)
The probability of birth defects in humans increases as more animal species react with developmental defects. (clear)
The probability of birth defects in humans increases the more animal species react with developmental defects. (ambiguous)
Case (upper/lower)
The convention of the target language should be followed.
Examples:,br />
Cien años de soledad (correct Spanish title)
One Hundred Years of Solitude (correct English title)
die deutsche Sprache (correct German)
the German language (correct English)
UNESCO (correct English)
Unesco (correct Spanish)
False Cognate
In some language pairs, this is the most common type of error.
Examples:
Dutch into English:
advocaat (lawyer) translated as advocate
stof (dust) translated as stuff
English into Spanish:
officials (funcionarios) translated as oficiales
application [form] (solicitud) translated as aplicación
Grammar
Grammatical errors include
Illegible
It is the candidate's responsibility to ensure that the graders can clearly understand what is written. Candidates are instructed to use a pen or dark pencil and to write firmly enough to produce legible photocopies. Deletions, insertions, and revisions are acceptable if they do not obfuscate the intent.
Incomplete passage
A substantially unfinished passage is not graded. Missing titles, headings, or sentences within a passage may be marked as one or more major errors of omission, depending on how much is omitted.
Inconsistency (same term translated differently)
In general, a term that is used consistently in the source text should be translated consistently into the target language. Conversely, if the source text uses different terms for the same idea interchangeably, the candidate should attempt to come up with a similar variety in the target language (Of course, graders realize this is not always possible).
Example (German into English):
Die Bäume flüstern es, die Gräser zischeln es, die Winde raunen's.
The trees whisper it, the grasses rustle it, the winds whisper it. (Another option is murmur)
Indecision, gave more than one option
Graders will not choose the right word for the candidate. If both options are correct, presenting alternatives is a minor error; if one option is wrong, it is a major error. Do not add clarifications unless you're certain that readers from the target-language culture will miss the meaning without them. Do not use asterisks, footnotes, brackets, or other hedging devices (semantically empty phrases)..
Examples: Spanish: al comienzo [al principio]
English: in the beginning [at first]
Mistranslation into target language
The meaning of the original text is not conveyed properly in the target language.
Examples:
Misunderstanding of source text
This category applies when the grader can see—usually by back-translating the target-language text—that the error arises from misreading a word, for example, or misinterpreting the syntax of a sentence. In other words, the result is wrong because the translation was based on a misunderstood source text.
Examples:
Die große Versuchung, die die chinesischen Reichtumer auf die Hunnen ausubten...
The great temptation that the Chinese riches exerted on the Huns...
The great experiment [Versuch] that the Chinese kingdoms [Reiche] practiced upon the Huns...
The deal's complexity is mind-bending, involving six countries charged with putting down no fewer than nine guerrilla outfits that operate inside Congo.
Here, the phrase charged with means responsible for, not accused of.
Punctuation
The conventions of the target language should be followed, including those governing the use of quotation marks, colons, semicolons, and commas.
Register
The register (language level, degree of formality) of the source text should be preserved in the translation.
Examples of errors:
Spelling
There is less tolerance of spelling errors in some languages than in others, for reasons related to the language itself as well as the national culture. In all languages, a spelling error that causes confusion about the intended meaning is more serious.
Examples in English:
The student disagreed with the principle / principal.
The specialists agreed that systemic / systematic treatment was required.
The men set out early to pedal / peddle their bicycles through the town.
If a word has alternate spellings (such as periodo or periodo in Spanish, scanner or scanneur in French), the spelling that the candidate selects should be consistent throughout the passage.
Style
If the source text is characterized by a distinctive manner of expression—flowery, staccato, conversational, instructional, etc.—this should be reflected in the translation. Awkward or clumsy renditions that obscure the meaning may also be penalized.
Syntax (sentence structure)
Following the sentence structure of the source language can lead to misplaced modifiers, incorrect use of verbs, punctuation errors, and other mistranslations.
Examples in English:
The cupboard was infested with moths that organic foods enjoy.
Climbing the mountain, the cabin came into view.
She skis, plays tennis, and rock climbing.
The from Berlin coming and now on platform 12 arriving express train is two hours late.
Terminology, word choice
This error often involves terms used in various technical contexts.
Example: In an article about a nuclear reactor, Brüter translated as incubator instead of breeder.
Be sure to choose the right word for the context.
Example: The choices they made vs. The options they made
Avoid regional terms if a more standard term can be substituted.
Beware of nonexistent "cognates."
Examples: malignoma (not a word in English)
natrium vs. sodium
Too freely translated
Candidates are asked to translate the meaning and intent of the source text, not to rewrite it or improve upon it. The grader will carefully compare the translation to the source text. If a "creative" rendition changes the meaning, an error will be marked.
Example: Washington should not get involved in the debate vs. Washington is anxious to keep out of the debate
If recasting a sentence— i.e., altering the order of its major elements—destroys the flow, changes the emphasis, or obscures the author's intent, an error may be marked.
Example:
Because she was so sensitive, Susan thought her classmates were teasing her.
Susan thought her classmates were teasing her because she was so sensitive. (obscures meaning)
Too literal, word-for-word translation
Translations that follow the source text exactly may result in awkward, often incorrect renditions. Translate literally when it works, but not at the expense of clarity and natural syntax.
Examples:
Dutch into English: stand op het punt (was about to)
translated as stood at the point of
er is sprake van een syndroom (we are dealing with a syndrome)
translated as there is talk of a syndrome
French into English: Ne restez pas sous la pluie! (Come in out of the rain!) translated as Don't stay under the rain!
Usage
Correct and idiomatic usage of the target language is expected. Errors include use of the wrong preposition or misuse of a grammatical form.
Examples:
He is married to (not with) my sister.
They were suspected of breaking (not to break) the rules.
I am going to take (not make) a walk.
He committed (not performed) a crime.
Word form
The root of the word is correct but the wrong form is used.
Examples:
The product has been tampered with and is no longer safety.
The new Beetle is an economic car.
los sitios de interes turistico translated as the touristic sites