WLS courses
Thread poster: Josephine Cassar
Josephine Cassar
Josephine Cassar  Identity Verified
Malta
Local time: 12:35
Member (2012)
English to Maltese
+ ...
Jul 15, 2013

Dear all,
I want to do one of their online courses as I left the MA translation course at university due to personal reasons. I am following another MA course which interests me, so cannot do both.
I saw in some previous posts that this WLS course was praised. May I have your feedback about this course, please, especially from people who did the online one. I have not yet decided which to do either, but know which language combinations I am going to choose.
Thank you.


 
Jessie LN
Jessie LN  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:35
Spanish to English
+ ...
It puts your brain in gear Jul 15, 2013

Hello Josephine,

I just started the WLS certificate course in April. So far, I've found the exercises to be a good mix of translation as well as questions based on commentary/analysis and theory. The theoretical information provided is useful and concise and is reflected in the coursework. The feedback I've had so far from my tutor has been detailed and really useful for development of my own techniques.

The only downsides I've found are 1) there are no externally-impos
... See more
Hello Josephine,

I just started the WLS certificate course in April. So far, I've found the exercises to be a good mix of translation as well as questions based on commentary/analysis and theory. The theoretical information provided is useful and concise and is reflected in the coursework. The feedback I've had so far from my tutor has been detailed and really useful for development of my own techniques.

The only downsides I've found are 1) there are no externally-imposed deadlines so I find myself slacking [oops] and 2) some of the materials could do with being proofread for typos and consistency. Oh, and 3) it doesn't carry the prestige of an MA and is not a recognised qualification...

However, I think the course is a good way to get your brain used to thinking like a translator. It does help to build confidence in your skills as well. I was considering doing an MA but since it's incredibly costly and I've already got a postgrad in another field (which did not magically open any doors to a suitable job, so I'm inclined to believe that an MA in translation wouldn't guarantee me steady work either), I decided to take another route.

You can request sample materials for your language combination from WLS to get a little preview of the course content.

Best of luck and feel free to get in touch if you have any specific questions!
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Elisa Vitale
 
Josephine Cassar
Josephine Cassar  Identity Verified
Malta
Local time: 12:35
Member (2012)
English to Maltese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Is not a recognised qualification Jul 15, 2013

Thank you for your answer. It prepares you for the IOL exam though. Which did you choose-the certificate, the combined, or the diploma? I am hovering between the certificate and the combined. Yes, I found that even the material sent could do with some proofreading, but I am finding it difficult to decide. On other posts, it was highly praised. Did you find you were able that the material you were sent was enough to submit work, or do they suggest other reading material? And will tutor be availab... See more
Thank you for your answer. It prepares you for the IOL exam though. Which did you choose-the certificate, the combined, or the diploma? I am hovering between the certificate and the combined. Yes, I found that even the material sent could do with some proofreading, but I am finding it difficult to decide. On other posts, it was highly praised. Did you find you were able that the material you were sent was enough to submit work, or do they suggest other reading material? And will tutor be available to answer your queries? I must say that sample material was more than ample. Thank you very much.Collapse


 
Jessie LN
Jessie LN  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:35
Spanish to English
+ ...
Certificate Jul 15, 2013

I'm doing the certificate course (which is their own certificate, it's not accredited by any other body), rather than the IoL Diploma preparation course or combined course.

So far I have found that the material is enough on its own; I haven't had to do any extra reading (apart from researching terminology and such). Anything that is asked about theory is covered in the course notes.

I am enjoying it so far and some bits are a lot tougher than I imagined they would be!
... See more
I'm doing the certificate course (which is their own certificate, it's not accredited by any other body), rather than the IoL Diploma preparation course or combined course.

So far I have found that the material is enough on its own; I haven't had to do any extra reading (apart from researching terminology and such). Anything that is asked about theory is covered in the course notes.

I am enjoying it so far and some bits are a lot tougher than I imagined they would be! I haven't asked my tutor for help yet, but you are encouraged to if need be, acting in line with the tutor-contact guidelines set out in the notes.
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Isadora Vital
Isadora Vital
United States
English to Portuguese
+ ...
WLS course Jan 6, 2017

Hello Jessie and Josephine,

I saw that this post is from a while ago. But I would like to know if you guys finished the WLS course and what did you think of it? Did you like it?

Isadora


 
Elizabeth Faracini
Elizabeth Faracini  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 07:35
Member (2010)
Italian to English
+ ...
WLS Jan 6, 2017

Hi Isadora,

I took the WLS Diploma in Translation course about 8 years ago, and I thought it was very helpful with preparation for the exam.
The instructor who reviewed my assignments was very thorough and gave me detailed notes on what to pay attention to in my translations and certain pitfalls I could avoid. She also gave me tips about preparing for the exam and which subjects I should choose based on her review of my assignments.
I passed the CIOL exam on my first tr
... See more
Hi Isadora,

I took the WLS Diploma in Translation course about 8 years ago, and I thought it was very helpful with preparation for the exam.
The instructor who reviewed my assignments was very thorough and gave me detailed notes on what to pay attention to in my translations and certain pitfalls I could avoid. She also gave me tips about preparing for the exam and which subjects I should choose based on her review of my assignments.
I passed the CIOL exam on my first try, so I'd say the course was quite useful!
I suppose the course may be different depending on who your instructor is.
Good luck!
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Josephine Cassar
Josephine Cassar  Identity Verified
Malta
Local time: 12:35
Member (2012)
English to Maltese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Hi Isadora Jan 7, 2017

I learnt a lot from the course-it contained questions and material covering 8 topics-business, medical, technical, scientific, legal, etc. (I forget which else). I learnt how to research, reason, analyse and check as a word may have several translations and meanings but which one fits in that particular context, considering everything? You are also advised to leave some time from the time you do the translations and the revision-ideal but hardly similar to work ambience. This trains you to check... See more
I learnt a lot from the course-it contained questions and material covering 8 topics-business, medical, technical, scientific, legal, etc. (I forget which else). I learnt how to research, reason, analyse and check as a word may have several translations and meanings but which one fits in that particular context, considering everything? You are also advised to leave some time from the time you do the translations and the revision-ideal but hardly similar to work ambience. This trains you to check and provides practice. The tutor-contact guidelines were very stiff and, I found, rigorous and amended further during 2012/3 and that is my main objection. Though probably based on past experiences with other students, I found it very laborious to contact tutor or to ask about certain things I had not understood properly concerning the material sent, corrections provided and on which I had to work or follow. I missed that direct contact. In writing, certain things may mean one way to me but may not be clear or mean as I took them, so, if I wanted to check or had a query, it was laborious and off-putting. That is my only objection but, otherwise, it was a thorough and demanding course, not an easy one, made all the more demanding by contact exigencies. I did not mind not having any deadlines; in fact, I was told to slow down a bit to deliver better work. I suppose the course might have changed a bit since we finished though material probably remained the same. Good luck.Collapse


 


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