Sample tests

TEST # 1: Lexical problems of translation

I. Translate into English. Explain the ways of translating phraseological units:

1. Но увы! И у него была ахиллесова пята, и он имел свои слабости.

2. За два года я не слышал от него больше пяти слов за один присест, а тут – так прямо речь.

3. С ней трудно разговаривать, она всегда ходит вокруг да около.

4. Разумеется, лучше синица в руке, чем журавль в небе, в особенности, когда выбираем не мы.

5. Все политики одинаковы – наобещают златые горы и скроются до будущих выборов.

II. State the type of the neologisms used in the sentences, translate them into English/Russian:

1. Президент России В.В.Путин призывает преобразовать Стабилизационный фонд РФ в Резервный фонд и Фонд будущих поколений.

2. Михаил Зурабов предложил выделить накопительную часть пенсии (всего их три – базовая, накопительная и страховая) из системы обязательного страхования пенсии.

3. I just got word from the boss, and the trip to London is a go.

4. More women than men have responsibility for elder care.

5. The study found that stay-at-home moms are no longer the majority in America.

III. Translate the text into Russian. Find 3 examples of international words and 3 examples of pseudointernational words. Illustrate the differences in the latter case.

Speaking of Education

What is a second-year high school or college student called? What kind of degree does a graduate student receive after a year or two of study? The trms used in the US frequently cause confusion for Russian students and translators because the American educational system differs considerably from that of England and Russia.Even terms that in literal translation at first glance may seem identical represent quite different concepts and institutions. The number of years at school for elementary school and начальная школа differ; a Russian high school student does not write a курсовая работа, while their American counterparts are quite often used to “term papers”.

IV. Translate the following sentences into English/Russian. State the ways of translating terms:

1. Более высокие цены на сырую нефть привели к росту цен на промышленные товары и сельскохозяйственную продукцию.

2. Опыт России подтверждает вывод о том, что причины смерти связаны с хроническими и приобретенными заболеваниями, среди которых преобладают сердечно-сосудистые заболевания и злокачественные новообразования.

3. These averages are precisely the information required.

4. One sensor was positioned in each of 25 tubes after the bundle was assembled and installed in the test facility.

V. Translate into Russian using and stating the types of transformations:

1. The student usually does not know at an early age whether he will go to the college.

2. Risk in business is never far away.

3. The girls shuddered home under hailstones.

4. Does it make any sense to render help to that country?

VI. Translate the text into Russian, write out examples of different types of translation correspondences:

A message can be communicated to a mass audience by many means. The oldest media are those of the printed word and picture which carry their message through the sense of sight. Radio is the mass communication medium aimed at the sense of sound, whereas television and motion pictures appeal both to the visual and auditory senses.

VII. Translate the following “cultural” words:

1) shadow cabinet, fan mail, Oxbridge

2) беспартийный кандидат, диплом с отличием, пациенты-льготники

TEST # 2: Lexical problems of translation

I. Translate into English. Explain the ways of translating phraseological units:

1. Не беспокойся, не потеряешься. Язык до Киева доведет.

2. Чужая душа – потемки, особенно, если человек умеет притворяться.

3. Моя жизнь – ни для кого не секрет. Шила в мешке не утаишь.

4. Боюсь, что этот документ покажется им китайской грамотой.

5. После нас хоть потоп.

II. State the typeof the neologisms used in the sentences, translate them into English/Russian:

1. Хотя многие из малоимущих семей нуждаются в дорогостоящих лекарствах, они выбрали денежные компенсации.
2. К сожалению, многие медикаменты, включенные в субсидированное государством лекарственное обеспечение, исчезли из аптек.
3. Согласно статистике Департамента по делам с сиротами и отказными детьми, число преступлений, совершенных малолетними преступниками, увеличилось втрое.
4. In Britain, new maths and science teachers are being given golden hellos.
5. His songs have often been sampled by other people.

III. Translate the text into Russian. Find 3 examples of international words and 3 examples of pseudointernational words. Illustrate the differences in the latter case:

There are fifteen capital cities in the world in a position to be wiped out or seriously damaged by volcanic eruptions. So why then do people continue to live in such dangerous areas? The soils from volcanic ashes are light, easily worked out and are full of plant nutrients. In Italy, Japan, New Zealand, the United States and Iceland the subterranean heat is used in geothermal power stations to generate electricity. There is growing evidence that gold is among the minerals collected by volcanic flows.

IV. Translate the following sentences into English/Russain. State the ways of translating terms:

1. Основные черты кризисной демографической ситуации проявляются в беспрецедентном росте смертности населения, стремительном снижении числа рождений, высокой младенческой смертности, абсолютном сокращении численности населения.

2. Многие члены Госдумы поддерживают введение высоких подоходных налогов на сверхприбыль.

3. Tough laws and security measures do little to deter computer crackers who steal company secrets.

4. It was generally observed that a heat affected zone was present in the surface region of each specimen.

V. Translate into Russian using and stating the types of transformations:

1. The shopping district was only four blocks long and two blocks deep.

2. For a long time the British Parliament discussed the “No Hanging” bill.

3. The “Economy Class Syndrome” is highlighted in today’s edition of the Lancet.

4. The New Zealand earthquake was followed by tremours lasting an hour. No loss of life was reported.

VI. Translate the following “cultural” words:

minority president, President-elect, licensing hours

счета за коммунальные услуги, удостоверение на бесплатный проезд в общественном транспорте, комбинированный тарифный план.

VII. Translate the text into Russian, write out examples of different types of TL correspondences:

The range of food available to astranauts is vast, and great care is taken to ensure that it looks and tastes appetizing. Meals are organized to provide an average of 3,000 calories a day which seems high for living in an enclosed environment in which there is no gravity.The space diet is balanced rather differently from a terrestrial diet. This is to try to compensate for changes in the body during space flight.

TEST # 3: Grammatical problems of translation