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University of Massachusetts Boston
Latin American and Iberian Studies Department

Admission Process - Step 2
Translation Program
Entrance Exam

Instructions

Please take up to one hour (60 minutes) to translate the two assigned passages: one from English into Spanish and the other one from Spanish into English. Your translation should be clear, accurate and idiomatic. Type your translation in the corresponding spaces.

BY TAKING THIS EXAM YOU ACCEPT THAT: 

  1. You will not get any feedback or grade.
  2. Results can take some time, and we can’t guarantee that you’ll have them by a certain date.
  3. UMass Boston is not responsible for any personal decision you need to make based on the results. Please email us at admissions@umbtranslation.org if you didn’t get the results three weeks after completing your exam.

Rules of the Exam

  • You must respect the time limit (1 hour). 
  • You must work on your own, without consulting with other people in any way. 
  • Do NOT use machine translators (such as Google Translate). This will automatically disqualify you as a candidate for the program.

If you are ready, you may start the exam. 

Good luck! 

UMass Boston's Translation Certificate Entrance Exam

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Passage 1: English into Spanish

Title: “3 minutes of movement to refresh your mind”
When you’re wiped out, getting up and moving might sound like a real drag. But the less active we are during the day, the more fatigued we feel. Today’s challenge is a playful, slightly silly three-minute exercise. Why is this a crucial part of an energy challenge? Because short bursts of movement can help reduce fatigue, relieve stress and improve your mood. As soon as you start, your heart rate goes up, increasing the supply of oxygen to your muscles and brain, said Margaret Rice, a professor of neurosurgery, neuroscience and physiology at the N.Y.U. Grossman School of Medicine.

Passage 2: Spanish into English

Titulo: “Los niños de hoy viven a través de las pantallas. En el circo los devolvemos a la edad que tienen”
Los hermanos González Villanueva tuvieron una infancia atípica. Su despertador en vacaciones eran los ruidos de la recogida de las carpas y sus mejores amigos, los animales del circo en el que trabajaban sus padres. Décadas después, Manuel, María y Rafael (49, 47 y 40 años respectivamente, todos de Madrid) crearon en 2005 Productores de Sonrisas con el foco puesto en mantener el espectáculo tradicional, pero también en hacerlo innovador y sostenible. Precisamente por esta visión del mayor espectáculo del mundo recibieron en 2023 el Premio Nacional de Circo. María, la hermana mediana, resume así lo que hacen: “Los niños de hoy viven a través de las pantallas y nosotros les acercamos el riesgo, los artistas, las luces. Lo que conseguimos es devolverlos a la edad que tienen”.
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CONTACT US

For information about application procedures, program fees, or registration, please contact:

Translation Program Admissions
Phone: 617.287.7549
admissions@umbtranslation.org

For academic and professional information, please contact:

Diego Mansilla, PhD
Program Director
Diego.Mansilla@umb.edu

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