NAATI CCL 8 Must-Know Exam Tips - from NAATI Accredited Paraprofessional Interpreter
Table of Contents
- 1. Always take notes in English
- 2.Take clear notes using abbreviations and symbols
- 3. Do not interpret immediately after hearing the chime
- 4. Practise! Practise! Practise!
- 5. Practise most common vocabulary
- 6. Don't forget to ask for repetition
- 7. Don't forget to self correct
- 8. Organize a NAATI mock test
1. Always take notes in English
If the segment is in Nepali, then taking notes in English makes sense because while taking notes you’ve done the translation too. However, if the segment is in English, then still take notes in English not Nepali. The reason is pretty simple.
Generally we tend to write faster in English than in Nepali. We all can agree that writing and/or typing in Nepali is a bit slower as there are too many characters and modifications. When it comes to note-taking, we do not write a full sentence or a complete word. We only write few letters, for example ‘msg’ for message, ‘popn’ for population, and so on. This method of writing an incomplete word for taking notes can prove to be very difficult with Nepali words.
If you don’t believe me, you can see it for yourself. Download our free resources or go to NepaliNaati’s YouTube channel and practise note-taking in both languages. You’ll then realise that it’s much easier to take notes in English regardless of the segment’s language. However, while taking notes in the exam, if you cannot think of the English translation for a Nepali word immediately, then simply write down that word in Nepali as it is. You might memorise the translation of that word later on while speaking.
2.Take clear notes using abbreviations and symbols
This is a problem for most of the students. We tend to write a lot faster while taking notes as we do not want to miss any content. But what if later while interpreting you’re unable to understand your own handwriting? What do you do then? We start to become diffluent and lose our confidence and even forget the whole context that we managed to memorise before, and might as well end up getting only 1 out 5 for that particular section.
Therefore, write only keywords so you don’t have to write a lot, and maintain at least readable handwriting. Remember! Note-taking is extremely important in the NAATI CCL test, especially if you get a lot of figures, examples, definitions and statistics in the exam.
We teach you how to take notes in our online class.
Most of dialogues in the NAATI CCL exam start with a greeting. For example, ‘Hello Mr. Sharma. How are you today’, ‘Nice to see you. How have you been?’, ‘Good morning’, ‘Good evening’, and so on. Make a list of abbreviations for these words/phrases so that you can save time in the exam while taking notes. You can access our list of abbreviations here or go to our YouTube channel.
3. Do not interpret immediately after hearing the chime
After each segment, you hear chime (a sound indicator), which is an indication that you can start interpreting. But take about 3-5 seconds (not more than 5 s) before interpreting. Moreover, quickly skim through your notes for that specific segment in 3-5 seconds and then only start interpreting. If you can grasp the gist of the section, then you can still manage to covney the overall meaning, which is more important than trying to interpret word by word with poor quality of delivery.
4. Practise! Practise! Practise!
Practice makes perfect!
Practise as many dialogues as you can. Remember that the secret to success lies in repeating over and again. While preparing for the CCL test, it’s not that we’re learning a new language for the first time; we just need to develop a habit of using Nepali words everytime we speak, especially in everyday topics. Therefore, plenty of practice is required, both in exam-topics and everyday topics. You’ll find all the different types of topics asked in the examination in our online course. We provide not only unlimited class but also money back guarantee with our Gold Kit online course.
5. Practise most common vocabulary
There are certain words that are most frequently used in exam-topics, such as health, legal and immigration. Some examples of such common words are file, document, doctor, patient, record, hospital, clinic, GP, solicitor, court order, immigration, visa, fine, penalty, jury, application, lodge, submit, criteria, and so on.
Compile a list of vocabualry that you come across while practicing or listening to BBC Nepali Sewa, and revise this list frequently eventhough you know the words. Alternatively, you can get access up to 2000 words vocabulary list in our online course.u can view a sample of vocabualry English- Nepali in our free course.
You can view a full list of 2000+ words in our NAATI online course or you can view a sample pdf file in our free course.
6. Don't forget to ask for repetition
In the heat of the exam, candidates occasionally forget the target language as note-taking is always done in English. For example, a candidate hears a segment in Nepali and takes notes in English as it is convenient. After the audio stops, he/she might interpret it back to Nepali instead of English ( becasue notes are taken in English). To avoid this confusion, simply write 2E (interpret to English) on top of your notes if you hear the segment in Nepali and vice-versa.
One repetition is allowed per dialogue with no penalty. Even though this is a golden opportunity, students tend to forget to ask for repetitions because of the exam pressure. So make sure to write ‘take repetition’ somewhere on the note-taking paper so that you don’t forget to ask for that free repetition per dialogue. Any additional request for repetition incur penalties. I suggest limiting your repetitions to 1-3 per dialogue, not more than that.
7. Don't forget to self correct
The sentence formation in English and Nepali language is not the same. In English, it is subject-verb-object, whereas in Nepali it is subject-object-verb. This means that if you interpret word by word, then somewhere down the line you will realise that the sentence grammar is not right. If this happens, you can re-start that segment. Yes! you heard it correct. You can start interpreting again; this is called ‘rephrasing’ or ‘self-correction’.
Wherever you feel the need to rephrase, just say I’d like to rephrase the last sentence please, and re-interpret that part, or ‘ sorry, I’d like to say that again‘. Most likely you will not lose marks if done properly.
Would you like to join our CCL Online Community? Any questions or ideas you’d like to share, join our Forum.
8. Organize a NAATI mock test
If you already have dialogues and vocbulary and have been preparing by yourself, it might be a good idea to participate in a mock test before the actual test. This will help you identify your strengths and weaknesses and you’ll know whether you’re on the right track.
You can do a quick mock test with us online, which simulates the actual test. You’ll also get a score and 1-on-1 feedback.
If you’ve finished reading all the 8 exam tips, then I’m confident that you are determined to pass the NAATI CCL test and get that 5 bonus points for PR.
We can help you pass the CCL test with ease. Please enroll in one of our online courses, or call us on 0414 859 819 so we can help you decide which course to choose.