Category Archives: Translation profession

cApStAn co-founder Steve Dept is delighted to have been invited to be a speaker at the International e-Assessment and Awards conference taking place in London June 6-7, 2023. His talk, titled “Meaning shifts, perception shifts – language as a component of inclusiveness”, is scheduled for Day 1 at 11:00 BST. In multilingual or in monolingual …

“cApStAn Founding Partner Steve Dept presenting at e-Assessment 2023 on how to mitigate bias in multilingual and monolingual assessments”

cApStAn was a proud sponsor of the Annual ATP “Innovations in Testing” conference which took place March 12 to 15 in Dallas, USA. cApStAn was represented by the business development team, Devasmita Ghosh and Nela Manojlovic,  as well as Musab Hayatli and Laura Wäyrynen from cApStAn’s US office. The conference provided a great opportunity, as …

“ATP “Innovations in Testing” 2023 Conference in Dallas, USA, March 12-15, 2023“

cApStAn is the international contractor in charge of linguistic quality assurance in PISA 2025. This includes training participating countries/economies to follow a standardised translation and adaptation approach and using mature translation technology: cApStAn’s presence was prominent in Lisbon for the first PISA 2025 National Project Managers’ meeting from March 12 to 17, 2023. PISA 2025 …

“OECD PISA 2025 National Project Managers’ meeting in Lisbon, 12-17 March 2023“

The ITC (International Test Commission) is committed to advancing and promoting good practice in assessment and measurement (in a testing context). The Association describes itself as an “Association of national psychological associations, test commissions, publishers and other organizations committed to promoting effective testing and assessment policies and to the proper development, evaluation and uses of …

“Steve Dept, cApStAn’s Founding Partner, at the ITC Council meeting, Granada, March 16-17, 2023”

The translator of the future is a human-machine hybrid The gist of a recent article in The Economist is precisely what we at cApStAn Linguistic Quality Control have been applying for years by looking at “augmented translator models” and man-machine interaction in translation environments. We believe that finding the right combination of automation and human intervention is the way forward. …

“The translator of the future is a human-machine hybrid”

NourbeSe Philip is a Caribbean born Canadian poet, novelist, playwright, essayist and short story writer. One of her books, Zong!, published in English in 2008, is at the heart of a major translation controversy. Zong! is a 182 page poetry cycle composed of words sourced exclusively from the two-page case report, Gregson vs. Gilbert, which related to the murder of 150 …

“M. NourbeSe Philip’s work was translated and published without her consent. Who ultimately owns the stories we tell?”

In the 21st century, “accessibility” often includes language, but translating a test into the strongest language of all test takers may not be realistic. Nevertheless, passing or failing a test should not depend on reading proficiency. Tests and exams are a gate for life chances and—unless being proficient in the language of the test is …

“How fair is it to deliver your exams only in English?”

With the epic backdrop of geopolitical turmoil and environmental urgency, it may seem awkward to dwell on our minute successes. What with the barbaric invasion of Ukraine? What with the courageous revolt of the Iranian people in general and of Iranian women in particular? What about the denial of the right to education for Afghan …

“Walking at a Brisk Pace, by cApStAn’s co-founder Steve Dept  “

It has been a privilege for cApStAn to work on the test translation and adaptation section of the Guidelines for Technology-Based Assessment of the International Test Commission (ITC) and the Association of Test Publishers (ATP). Quoting cApStAn co-founder Steve Dept “this monumental resource was compiled, reviewed, carefully edited, discussed with some of the most knowledgeable experts in the field, is packed …

“Just out: the new ITC/ATP guidelines on tech-based assessment. Proud to have been a part of this!“

Three books, from three different continents, have recently been translated into English. They all deal with the aftermath of French colonialism, in Tahiti (French Polynesia), Vietnam and Cameroon, through the lens of “anticolonial translation”. What exactly does this mean? In a recent article for NPR (US National Public Radio magazine) writer, critic, and translator Lily …

“Books in English Translation: Three tales touching on French colonialism”

Acclaimed UK poet and translator Nancy Naomi Carlson is the winner of the Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize 2022 for the translation from French to English of Mauritian poet, essayist, and semiologist Khal Torabully‘s book titled “Cale d’étoiles: Coolitude?” (1) Torabully’s work narrates the odyssey of “indentured” labourers across the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. The “indenture …

“Translating literary works related to indentured migration as an act of social justice”

Indian author Geetanjali Shree and translator Daisy Rockwell were recently awarded the 2022 International Booker Prize for the novel Tomb of Sand. This prize is awarded annually to a translated work of fiction published in the U.K. or Ireland. The £50,000 prize money is divided equally between author and translator. Winning the 2022 prize  not …

“First ever International Booker Prize for Indian language novel gives boost to Indian literature as a whole”