ALTA Competency Exam (CALT) case studies
ALTA Competency Exam (CALT) · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The ALTA Competency Exam (CALT) is a translation-competency credential awarded by ALTA Language Services. It is intended for working translators, bilingual professionals moving into translation, and candidates who need an independent, third-party assessment of their ability to carry meaning accurately from a source language into a target language - as distinct from a general language-proficiency test. The ALTA Competency Exam (CALT) case studies are 5 cases and about 3,508 words.
1The Lease Clause That Says Four Things at Once
You are translating a 4,200-word Spanish residential lease (Spain, 2023) into English for a US law firm using it in a dispute. Rate: USD 0.14/word.
666 words, about 3 min2Consent Form: The Number and the Qualifier Disagree
You are translating a 900-word Spanish informed-consent form for a multinational vaccine trial into English for a US IRB. Deadline: three days; your CAT tool shows 62% leverage from an earlier study.
738 words, about 4 min3Winding Up a Day: When the Pun Inverts the Meaning
You are localizing a productivity app's onboarding flow from Spanish (Spain) into English (US). The headline is «Dale cuerda a tu día»; the subtitle reads «Organiza tus tareas, respira y empieza con buen pie»; the primary button says «Empezar ahora».
711 words, about 4 min4Two Cognates and a Healer: The Flyer for a Chicago Clinic
You are translating a 380-word Spanish community health flyer into English for a clinic in Chicago serving Mexican-origin and Puerto Rican patients; many readers have limited literacy in both languages. The flyer says «Si tiene intoxicación, tome muchos líquidos y acuda de inmediato», recommends «acudir con su curandero o sobador si así lo prefiere», and uses «usted» throughout, including «su médico».
691 words, about 3 min5The Contradiction, the Backdate, and the Nahuatl Sentence
You are a freelance Spanish English translator, ATA-certified, working directly for a small law firm. They send a three-page witness statement in Spanish, due in 24 hours, for USD 300, needed for a filing the next morning.
702 words, about 4 min