ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a critique of traditional assessment methods in translator training, and moves on to discuss principles of student-centred assessment, and a variety of innovative methods, including peer and self assessment or learning portfolios, which may be used alone or in combination with each other to improve assessment practice. Norm and criterion-referenced grading practices are then compared, and some suggestions are given as to how to formulate assessment criteria. It further discusses issues relating to assessment of trainer performance and programme evaluation. By the end of the chapter, readers will have received a broad overview of the concepts of assessment, well beyond standard end-of-semester grading, and should be able to propose and adopt appropriate assessment mechanisms for their own modules. It explains two essential features: on the one hand, they tend to centre on the concept of translation error; on the other, there is no real overall consensus on what constitutes an acceptable translation.
