| Source Text | Candidate’s Translation | Comments |
| For some, paspalum is simply a superintendent’s best friend. | 从某种意义上讲，雀稗简直就是球场总监最好的朋友。 | “从某种意义上讲”
Not accurate F:4 |
| In the world of warm-season golf course grasses, seashore paspalum has been touted as the next big thing. | 在暖季型高尔夫球场草坪的视野，海滨雀稗草享誉为未来的喜好。 | Totally inaccurate, MU/F:8
在高尔夫球场暖季型草坪的领域中，海滨雀稗广受青睐，掀起了一番前所未有的热潮。 |
| Known for its salt tolerance, the grass is marketed as the answer for salt affected sites from California to the Carolinas. | 众所周知，此草的耐盐性,将会是从西到东沿海盐质球场的答案。 | A/F:8 |
| 此草以耐盐性著称，所以在从加利福尼亚州到卡罗莱纳州的市场上被定位为受盐碱影响地区的解决方案。 | A/F:8 | |
| Coastal courses that experience salt spray, and inland courses with salty wells or variable TDS irrigation water such as effluent, have greatly benefited from the resilience of the grass. | 即使沿海球场常有盐雾，内陆球场的水井含盐,浇灌水源含有污水而不断排出不同的溶解固体，雀稗草却凭着柔韧的生命力而扎根。 | Multiple errors, total disaster |
| 那些遭受盐雾的海滨球场，以及拥有盐井或污水等TDS水平各异灌溉水的内陆球场都极大地受益于这种草的耐盐能力。 | A,F:4+4 |
Western Thinking
| Source Text | Candidate’s Translation | Comments |
| He wanted to clarify the correct use of concepts like justice and love by pointing out incorrect usage. | 他希望透過指出不正確的用法而澄清概念的正確用法，如正義和愛等等。 | Hard to tell whether “正義和愛” modifies “概念.” F:4 |
| 他想藉指出一些概念如司法和愛的不當用法，而浧清它們的正確運用。 | 浧 is a typo P:1 | |
| From past experience we would put together “boxes,” definitions, categories or principles. | 我们会根据以往的经验将“框架”、定义、类别或原理罗列在一起。 | MU:8 |
| 根据過去的經驗，我們可以将定義、類別或原則等组成一些「盒子」 | MU:8 | |
| As a result, Western thinking is concerned with “what is,” which is determined by analysis, judgment and argument. | 因此，西方思想著重「是什麼」，亦即透過分析、判斷和辯論而確定。 | MU:8 |
| If, later on, it is essential to choose between the differing positions, an attempt to choose is made at that point. | 如果后来必须从不同的立场中作选择的话，届时再进行选取。 | AMB:4 |
Welfare
| Source Text | Candidate’s Translation | Comments |
| … expanding the set of families eligible for family assistance plans or guaranteed income measures … | …扩大符合条件加入家庭补助计划的家庭群体或扩展收入保障措施… | Both “family assistance plans” AND “guaranteed income measures” modify “the set of families eligible.” MU:4 |
| If all poor families could receive welfare, would the incidence of instability change markedly? | 假如所有贫困家庭都能得到社会福利，会明显改变家庭稳定性吗？ | Unfaithful translation of “incidence of instability ” F:4 |
| … the unhappily married couple who remain together out of a sense of economic responsibility for their children, because of the high costs of separation, or because of the consumption benefits of marriage. | …出於對子女的經濟責任感而繼續共同生活──由於分居的高昂費用，或者由於婚姻的消費益處──的不幸福已婚夫婦。 | |
| …出於對其子女的經濟責任感，又基於分居成本太高，或婚姻的消費利益而不得不勉強維持結合的已婚配偶。 | ||
| The benefits of such a partnership depend largely on the relative dissimilarity of the resources or basic endowments each partner brings to the marriage. | 這種夥伴關係的益處大體上取決於每個夥伴帶進婚姻的資源或基本財產的相對差異。 | |
| 此等夥伴關係的益處在相當程度上取決於每個夥伴為此婚姻帶來之資源或基本才能的相對不同。 | ||
| Much of the variation in marital stability across income classes … | 各種收入階層在婚姻穩定性的很多差異… | “Much of the variation” is not “很多差異”. The word “variation” is missing. F:8 |
Immigration
| Source Text | Candidate’s Translation | Comments |
| … the discontent that the anti-immigration movement has tapped into. | …反移民运动已经出现的不满。 | F:4 |
| Immigration has been a blessing to the United States, but it is not an unmixed blessing, | 移民向來是美國的福祉，但也並非毫無雜音， | F:4 |
| 移民向来是上帝对美利坚合众国的恩赐，但也不是一纯粹的恩赐， | A:4 | |
| Rather than dismiss all immigration critics as xenophobes, supporters of immigrant rights need to deal with the legitimate gripes of their opponents. | 移民权利的支持者们不应把所有的移民批评者斥之为“恐惧外国人者”，而需认真对付他们的反对者的正当合理的抱怨。 | AMB:4 |
| 與其駁斥所有批抨移民者是仇外人士，移民權利的支持者需要慎重對待其對手合理的抱怨。 | A:4 | |
| The most basic (and perhaps the simplest to deal with) is that immigrants cost local governments money even as they fill federal coffers with income, especially from payroll taxes. | 最基本的（也许是最容易说明的）是即使移民的收入，特别是工薪税，流入联邦金库，他们却耗费当地政府的金钱。 | MU/F/COH: 8 total |
| A study found that the average immigrant puts a net lifetime fiscal cost of $25,000 on state and local governments. | 一項研究顯示，一般移民在一生中花去了州政府和地方政府 25,000 美元的淨會計成本。 | T:4 |
| Less straightforward but still important are… | 較不直接但是同樣重要的抱怨，則是 … | T/F:4 |
| Low-income native workers worried about their own wages and job opportunities cannot be dismissed as special pleaders. | 擔心自己工資和工作機會的低收入土生勞工不能被簡單打發成特殊求情者。 | The exact meaning of “special pleader” is not clear, therefore, no deduction is made. |
| 擔憂自己薪資和工作機會的低收入本國工人不能被斥為要求特殊待遇而了結。 | ||
| Paradoxically, those fighting to achieve justice for immigrants will reach their goal only if they are also seen as fighting for justice for the native-born. | 自相矛盾的是那些为移民获得公平正义而奋斗的人们只有当自己也为本土工人的公平正义而奋斗时才会达到其目标。 | “Paradoxical” means “seemingly contradictory”, MU:4 |
Conclusion
Before you take the exam, accumulate as much experience as possible. Practice translating under time pressure, seek out certified mentors and broaden your linguistic horizons. During the exam, take your time and read the text very, very carefully. Be precise when rendering your translation. Re-read the entire passage and your translation.
If you don’t pass the exam on the first try – don’t be too disheartened, the passing rate is only roughly 15%. Take the exam as a learning experience and as a source of important feedback for your next attempt. There are many reasons for the high failure rates – if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again!
Gang Li
Chinese <> English Translator and Interpreter
e-mail: gangli@gangli.info
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