ALTA Competency Exam (CALT) study plan

Annotate source texts for main idea, argument structure, and cohesive devices before drafting any target text

Distinguish intended meaning from literal wording by writing a one-sentence 'meaning statement' for each paragraph

Produce a first-draft translation with no omissions, marked against the source segment by segment

Identify and log recurring comprehension breakdowns (idioms, ellipsis, ambiguous referents) in a personal error log

Analyze register, tone, and audience signals in 4 contrasting source genres (informational, persuasive, legalistic, conversational)

Detect and repair typical accuracy failures: dropped qualifiers, shifted modality, and unmarked presuppositions

Perform a back-translation check on two drafted passages and reconcile every divergence

Apply a completeness checklist (entities, numbers, negation, hedges, connectors) to all drafts

Restructure source syntax into natural target-language sentence patterns without meaning loss

Build a target-language style sheet covering sentence length, voice preference, and paragraphing conventions

Revise two earlier drafts to eliminate calques and source-language interference

Self-score each revision against a 10-point accuracy rubric and record the score

Compile a 60-term bilingual glossary from the practice texts with definitions and source citations

Match terminology consistently across all drafts by running a term-consistency pass

Adjust formality level to fit three different target audiences without altering content

Flag culturally loaded items and write a short rationale for each rendering choice

Rewrite three passages in two distinct registers each and justify the differences

Resolve idioms, metaphors, and culture-bound references using documented strategies (equivalent, paraphrase, footnote)

Eliminate register mismatches by auditing formality markers against the intended audience

Draft a client-style style guide for one subject area (e.g., medical, marketing, or legal)

Proofread completed drafts for agreement, tense consistency, pronoun reference, and punctuation

Correct all spelling and diacritic errors using a systematic two-pass method

Standardize capitalization, number, date, and unit formatting to a single convention

Verify every technical term against at least two authoritative sources

Apply the ALTA-style code of ethics to four realistic dilemma scenarios (confidentiality, competence, conflict of interest, editing others' work)

Document a personal decision protocol for accepting or declining an assignment

Run a final mechanics sweep on the full portfolio using a read-aloud and reverse-reading technique

Draft a confidentiality and scope-of-work statement suitable for client correspondence

Complete two full timed mock exams under exam conditions and score them against the domain weights

Re-drill the weakest two domains identified by mock scores

Consolidate the error log into a top-20 recurring-mistake checklist for exam-day review

Finalize the portfolio index and verify every deliverable from weeks 1-7 is complete