Staatliche Prüfung für Übersetzer und Dolmetscher Baden-Württemberg / Karlsruhe – ein Erfahrungsbericht

A difficult decision

It took me a long time to decide to write the German certification exam for translators. Even though I knew, as someone who had made a lateral career move, that I was at a disadvantage with my mainly German clients (who just love qualifications), I hesitated. After all, I had only ever translated from German into English. I was confident that I understood German perfectly, but much less confident that I could translate into it with any sort of skill.

Now, thanks to the change in the laws governing certified translations (Gerichtsdolmetschergesetz, GDolmG), hundreds and thousands of translators in Germany are facing the same decision I was faced with: do I write the certification exam or not? How difficult is it? Can I manage?

In the end, I decided to take the leap. And for all those people out there wondering about the exam, I have some good news: it’s very difficult, but you can definitely manage!

The biggest challenge

One of the things I found most difficult about preparing for the exam is that there’s just so little information available about what the exam is actually like. Most Prüfungsämter (with the exception of Karlsruhe, who will send people who have signed up for the exam some past written papers) don’t release previous papers, and the information regarding what, exactly, the exam covers is so very broad. All you can really find is a dry list of requirements and a bare bones description of the exam process. I had so many questions – what is the best way to prepare? How difficult is the exam? What constitutes an error? How many errors am I allowed if I want to pass? What specialist subject should I choose? I’ve never been an interpreter, how difficult is sight-translation (Stegreifübersetzen)? How do I practice? Can anyone even read my handwriting anymore?

Unfortunately, only the Prüfungsämter really know the answers to some of these questions. Fortunately, there are some simple tips and tricks that can help as you prepare for the exam.

My simple tips and tricks to help you get through the exam

My first and most important tip is: find a study group or a tandem partner! I can’t emphasize enough how helpful my incredible study group and tandem partner were. I have to say that I got really lucky: I completed a prep course at the AKAD university and several students there formed a study group and invited me to join. The support and the mutual feedback were invaluable in helping to prepare for the exam. I really cannot recommend finding someone or multiple people to help with your preparation enough.

My study group met once every two weeks. We picked an article to translate in advance, translating into German one week and English the next. Because most of the group were German, I did a lot of heavy lifting in terms of correction when we translated into English, but in return I got oodles of help during the weeks we translated into German. We also talked exam strategies and gave each other suggestions for materials we could use to study.

My second tip is: read, watch and listen! The exam requires that you know and understand current events and have an understanding of the relevant countries that is on par with that of an Abitur graduate. You really need a broad range of knowledge. So read as many newspapers as you can, listen to as many podcasts as you can, watch the news and generally do your best to immerse yourself in both languages and cultures. Focus in particular on newspapers, podcasts and current events shows on the level of the Frankfurter Allgemeine, the Süddeutsche Zeitung, The Economist and The New York Times. Anything and everything could be the subject of an exam paper or oral exam question. It seems like a lot, so don’t panic, but do stay well informed.

My third tip is: practice, practice, practice! Who these days translates without a dictionary? Or using a pen and paper? And yet that’s exactly what you have to do in the exam. The more you practice, the better you will get. In the month leading up to my written exam, I translated a newspaper article under exam conditions every weekday. I made sure my handwriting was legible, practiced strategies for correcting mistakes (no whiteout allowed!) and learned how to improvise when the right word just didn’t seem to want to pop into my mind. I then sat down with a German native speaker to go over and correct my practice exams. Because I already had years of experience translating from German into English, I only practiced translating in that direction once or twice, but those new to translation might want to practice in both directions.

The essay

I have a four-year Humanities degree, so I really wasn’t very worried about the essay (and in fact, the essay was the German paper that I received the best grade for). But if school seems like it was a long time ago and essays are not your strong point, it’s absolutely worth practicing that as well. As far as I can tell, the topics tend to derive from current political events and social concerns (in June 2023, think the war in Ukraine or ChatGPT) so those are good things to focus on.

The oral exam

Leading up to the oral exam, I also practiced every weekday, this time in both directions since I have never interpreted before and was quite nervous about it. Sight-translation may seem very intimidating, but the more you practice, the better you get. If you don’t have a friend or relative who is willing to listen to your sight-translations, you can always record yourself and listen back to the recording to get an idea of how you are doing. Remember to speak clearly and slowly (going slow not only makes it easier for the examiners to understand you, it also gives you more time to think if you get to a tricky spot in the translation).

I wasn’t as worried about the question portion (Gespräch) of the oral exam, but I also took the time daily to learn about the things that were listed as possible subjects. One thing I really appreciated in the exam itself was that the examiners were very friendly and seemed to ask questions that focused on my strengths, even occasionally providing a hint when I wasn’t sure how to answer. They’re people too, and I got the impression that they wanted me to succeed!

Networking

My fourth tip is: network! On the day of the written exam, a fellow examinee asked everyone writing the DE-EN exam if we would be interested in exchanging phone numbers. Of course, not everyone was, but those of us who were stayed in touch and provided support for each other as we prepared for the oral exams. We formed our own little study group, meeting online every two weeks to practice sight-translation. As the exam got closer, we also picked research topics and made notes that we shared with the group for study. So, for example, one week I might share my notes on the history of Germany, and the next time we met I would be responsible for notes on the British education system. I’m sure you can imagine that this was hugely helpful, as it narrowed the focus of what we were studying down to the most important points. I will always be grateful to my now-friend for asking if we wanted to stay in touch and help each other!

Stay cool

My final and last tip is: stay cool! The exam was really very stressful, and the standards are very high. But passing, even excelling, is absolutely possible. You do have to take it seriously, and make sure you are putting enough time and effort into the preparation, but if you can do all that while also keeping your nerve, your chances are quite good. After all, hundreds and thousands of people before you have passed the exam, so it is definitely possible!

Kate McCane is a state certified translator (ermächtigte Übersetzerin) who passed the state exam in Karlsruhe in 2022, after making a lateral career move to work in translation in 2009. She is forever grateful to the amazing people in her written and oral exam study groups, and her long-suffering husband, who really did correct an English to German translation every single weekday night for a month in the lead-up to the written exam, and then two sight-translations every weekday night in the lead-up to the oral exam. He’s a champion! You can contact her for corporate communication translations or certified translations into German or English at kate (at) mccane-translations.com. She’s also happy to talk more about her experience preparing for and taking the exam, so feel free to get in touch.