”This is a Completely Different View of an Examination, Which is Not Peculiar to Our Ideas About It”

Abstract

This article presents an interview with Natalia Shikina, a translator who works on the examinations for obtaining CTA-P status. Natalia shares her experience of working as a translator on the oral part of the examinations: reveals the subtleties and peculiarities of passing the examination, tells what the written and oral examinations include, what kind of atmosphere awaits candidates for CTA status, as well as what the translator should be prepared for and what to provide for everything to be successful, how to prepare technically and emotionally. The interview also touches on the question of what level of English proficiency a translator should have to work on the CTA examination. The interview from the point of view of a translator, not an examinee, will allow readers, including those preparing for obtaining the CTA status, to look at the examination from the other side and get a deeper understanding of the process.