The Language Bank

Resources

Self-Assessment for Volunteers –Is this right for me?

If you want to assess your skills before volunteering for the Language Bank, below are some resources to help you evaluate and improve your language ability.

Self-assessment tests are provided by theInteragency Language Roundtable (ILR). We recommend at least a Level 2 competence level in the different areas:

TRANSLATION

• Reading
• Writing
• Translation Performance

INTERPRETING

• Listening
• Speaking
• Interpreting Performance

Equivalences

In this table you will find the equivalences between ILR, CEFR and ACTFL

	CEFR	ACTFL	ILR
Proficient	C2	Distinguished	5	4/4+
	C1	Superior	3+	3
Independent	B2	Advanced Plus	2+
		Advanced	2
	B1	Intermediate High / Pre-Advanced	1+
Basic	A2	Intermediate Mid	1
		Intermediate Low
	A2	Novice High	1
		Novice Mid	0+
		Novice Low

Training and Tests

In this section you will find training materials and some documents that have been officially translated in different languages.

To test your translation competency, we recommend you choosing one of the texts, translating it to the best of your abilities, and then comparing it with the official translation. This will give you a good sense of your translation proficiency. Though your translation does not have to be identical, it should render the same meaning while respecting the register of the original.

For interpreting, we recommend using the sample audio practices and watching the training videos to assess your interpreting abilities.

TRANSLATION

Medical

• Your Lab Tests, by the American Cancer Society
  
  Your Lab Tests – English
  Your Lab Tests - Русский (Russian)
  Your Lab Tests - polski (Polish)
  Your Lab Tests - العربية (Arabic)
  Your Lab Tests - 繁體中文 (Chinese, Traditional (Cantonese dialect))
  Your Lab Tests - français (French)
  Your Lab Tests - Kreyol ayisyen (Haitian Creole)
  Your Lab Tests - हिन्दी (Hindi)
  Your Lab Tests - 한국어 (Korean)
  Your Lab Tests - español (Spanish)
  Your Lab Tests - Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  
• COVID educational materials in 26 languages

Labor

• Wage and Hour Division. Publications in Spanish, Bahasa Indonesian, Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese, Haitian, Hindi, Hmong, Korean, Polish, Punjabi, Russian, Samoan, Somali, Tagalog, Thai, Urdu, and Vietnamese.

Science

• Retail Food Protection Industry Educational Materials

INTERPRETING

Here you will find some resources for practicing and self-assessing your interpreting skills:

• Legal: Sample audio practice samples for Spanish
• Social and Health Services: Sample audio practice samples and Study Booklets for Medical Interpreters and Social Service Interpreters for Chinese-Cantonese, Chinese-Mandarin, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese)
• Interpreting in the Social Services Environment, by WashingtonStateDSHS
• Interpreting in the Medical Setting, by WashingtonStateDSHS

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