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Read both of the elective passages before you decide which to translate. Do the dictionaries you brought cover the subject matter? Are there complicated sentences that will take time to untangle?
When you finish a paragraph, read it over to yourself. Does it sound right, or does it sound awkward and stilted? Will changing the word order make a difference?
Working with a handwritten translation, instead of a word processor, may call for a different way of thinking. For example, going back and inserting qualifiers in the right place is more difficult. Think your sentences through before you write.
Do not make hasty last-minute changes unless you're sure you made a mistake. If you are undecided, you may be safer trusting your first instinct.
Proofread carefully. Check
If a word or phrase is not in your reference materials, apply your translation skills. You are expected to recognize irregular verb forms, root-word derivations, compound words, and proper names. With scientific and medical passages in particular, close cognates may be found in target-language dictionaries. In other cases, you will have to determine the meaning from the context.