This is a proficiency exam for graduate students not enrolled in the graduate program of the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures.
To the Student:
Please ask your advisor to complete the information below and to submit the 'Certification Sheet' together with the applicable passage for the student to translate from German into English to: Natascha Miller (.521) no later than one week before the desired exam date [Autumn & Spring semesters only; exams cannot be requested during the last week of the semester or during the finals period].
We suggest that you keep a copy of the completed form for your records as well.
Students are allowed to use online dictionaries and wordlists. Google Translate and other online translation programs are NOT allowed.
The German Reading Examination for graduate students:
- requested exam date:
- requested exam start time:
- Exam Location: Hagerty Hall 498
Certification Sheet
Student's Name:
Student's Department:
Advisor! Please indicate the desired level of examination (see below for explanations) and attach the applicable passage for the student to translate from German into English:
- Level 3
- Level 2
- Level 1
Advisor's Name:
Advisor's Department:
Advisor's email address:
A candidate who wishes to cancel his registration must notify the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures in writing no later than 24 hours before the scheduled exam.
Level 3
Translation in one hour of a passage of 350–400 words in the candidate's field, with unrestricted use of dictionaries and word lists. The form of certification will be:
The Level 3 certification will read:
This is to certify that [ student's name] has satisfactorily translated with the aid of a dictionary a German passage in the field of _________________.
Level 2
A translation test with unrestricted use of dictionaries and word lists.
It consists of two parts: a non-technical passage of ca. 100 words to be translated in 20–30 minutes, and a 350–400 word passage in the candidate's field, to be translated in one hour.
The Level 2 certification will read:
This is to certify that [ student's name] has demonstrated the ability to translate German with the aid of a dictionary.
Level 1
An examination designed to prove a thorough reading knowledge.
It consists of two parts:
A. a technical passage of 350–400 words to be translated in one hour, and
B. a condensation or summary of a longer technical passage (appr. 2–4 pp., depending on the format); this, too, is timed at one hour. The purpose of the second part is to prove that the student has sufficient facility to read through a text and absorb the information without being dependent on a slow unraveling of each sentence. No dictionaries are used at this test.
The Level 1 certification will read:
This is to certify that [ student's name] has demonstrated a good reading knowledge of German.