SMLC -Marking criteria for translation into English

Class	Scale	Numerical equivalent
First	Excellent 1st	100	A flawless translation of publishable quality. Flawless understanding of sense and flawless appreciation of nuance of the source text. Exceptional rendering of source text. Exceptional sensitivity to the cultural and textual context of the source text. Exceptionally high degree of resourcefulness in overcoming translation difficulties. All elements within the source text are conveyed.
		94
	High 1st – mid high 1st	88 82	An almost flawless translation: renders exceptionally well the type, register, and communicative function of the source text. Almost flawless understanding of sense and almost flawless appreciation of nuance of the source text. Impressive rendering of source text. Outstanding sensitivity to the cultural and textual context of the source text. Impressive resourcefulness in overcoming translation difficulties. All elements within the source text are conveyed.
	Mid low Low 1st	78 74	An excellent translation: renders very persuasively the type, register, and communicative function of the source text. Excellent understanding of sense and excellent appreciation of nuance of the source text. Excellent rendering of source text. Excellent sensitivity to the cultural and textual context of the source text. Excellent resourcefulness in overcoming translation difficulties. Some very minor elements within the source text may be omitted or slightly mistranslated.

Upper second	High 2:1	68	Very good translation: renders persuasively the type, register, and communicative function of the source text. Very good understanding of sense and very good appreciation of nuance of the source text. Very good rendering of source text. A very good level of awareness of the cultural and textual context of the source text. Very good resourcefulness in overcoming translation difficulties. Some minor elements within the source text may be omitted or slightly mistranslated.
	Mid 2:1	65	Good translation: largely persuasive in rendering the type, register and function of the source text. Good understanding of sense and good appreciation of nuance of the source text. Good rendering of source text. A good level of awareness of the cultural context and text type of the source text. Good resourcefulness in overcoming translation difficulties. Some minor elements within the source text are omitted or mistranslated.
	Low 2:1	62	Mostly good translation: largely persuasive in rendering the type, register and function of the source text. Mostly good comprehension of source text overall but some approximation creeps in here and there. Reads fairly well with occasional awkwardness. Some occasional words, idioms and /or segments of a sentence are mistranslated or rendered too literally. A mostly good level of awareness of the cultural context and text type of the source text is shown. Fairly good resourcefulness in overcoming translation difficulties. Some elements within the source text are omitted or mistranslated, but the overall sense is still clear.
Lower Second	High 2:2	58	Reasonable translation: candidate apprehends the sense sufficiently in the main, though fails to render persuasively the type, register, and function of the source text. Reasonable comprehension of source text overall, but there is some misunderstanding at word and /or sentence level. Reads reasonably well with some awkwardness. Some words, idioms and /or segments of a sentence are mistranslated or rendered too literally. The cultural context and text type of the source text is not fully understood and/or conveyed. Shows occasional evidence of resourcefulness in overcoming translation difficulties. Several elements within the source text are omitted or mistranslated.

	Mid 2:2	55	Inconsistent translation: candidate apprehends the sense sufficiently in the main, though fails to render persuasively the type, register and function of the source text. Uneven comprehension of source text; regular misunderstandings at word and sentence level. Reads awkwardly. Several words, idioms and /or segments of a sentence are mistranslated or rendered too literally. The cultural context and text type of the source text is often not understood and/or not conveyed. Limited evidence of resourcefulness in overcoming translation difficulties. Several elements within the source text are omitted or mistranslated
	Low 2:2	52	Insecure translation: displays a limited sense of the source text and fails to render persuasively its type, register and function. Insecure comprehension of source text with frequent misunderstandings at word and sentence level. Reads awkwardly. Words, idioms and /or segments of a sentence are frequently mistranslated or rendered too literally. The cultural context and text type of the source text is frequently not understood and/or not conveyed. Hardly any or no evidence of resourcefulness in overcoming translation difficulties. Frequently elements within the source text are omitted or mistranslated.
Third	High 3rd	48	Poor translation: displays serious errors in comprehension, distorting the meaning of the source text in a number of places. Poor comprehension of source text with significant misunderstandings at word and sentence level. Instances of awkward and ungrammatical expression. The cultural context and text type of the source text is rarely understood and/or conveyed. Frequently elements within the source text are omitted or mistranslated.

	Mid 3rd	45	Very poor translation: displays numerous and serious errors in comprehension, distorting the meaning of the source text. Very poor comprehension of source text with frequent significant misunderstandings at word and sentence level. Frequently awkward, ungrammatical expression. The cultural context and text type of the source text is barely understood and conveyed. Key elements within the source text are frequently omitted or mistranslated.
	Low 3rd	42	Extremely poor translation: displays numerous and serious errors in comprehension, distorting the meaning of the source text. Very poor comprehension of source text with frequent significant misunderstandings at word and sentence level. Largely awkward and ungrammatical expression. No sensitivity to English syntax. The cultural context and text type of the source text is not understood and not conveyed. Key elements within the source text are very frequently omitted or mistranslated.
Fail	High Fail (sub honours)	38	Unsatisfactory translation. Comprehension is severely compromised. A small section of the text may not have been translated. Reads very poorly as a piece of English. Little or no evidence of any attempt made to demonstrate awareness of cultural context, text type and register.
	Fail	32	Very unsatisfactory translation. Comprehension is severely compromised. A whole section of the text may not have been translated. Reads very poorly as a piece of English. No evidence of any attempt made to demonstrate awareness of cultural context, text type and register.

		25	Wholly inadequate translation. Barely understandable translation. Significant sections of the text may not have been translated. Reads extremely poorly as a piece of English. Not enough language to assess.
	Low fail	12
Zero	Zero	0	Work of no merit or no work submitted.