Assessing translation students' acquisition of professional competences

This article describes assessment methods in undergraduate translation courses from English into the students' native language at the University of Helsinki, Finland. We consider and attempt to develop assessment according to the principle of constructive alignment in the process of both teaching and learning of translators' professional competences (as defined by Gambier et al. 2009 and Kelly 2005), which are discussed in relation to our course aims and intended outcomes. The primary methods of assessment described and analysed include students' reflective translation commentaries, teacher feedback and end of course portfolios. We argue, based on both our teaching experience and student comments, that in spite of some obvious challenges, this assessment system is an effective way of measuring the students' acquisition of translation competences, as well as acting as a scaffold in the process.