Course Requirements and Portfolio Options and Guidelines
Portfolio Options for Heritage Speakers, Native Speakers, Adult, Returning and Non-Traditional Students
Students who grew up speaking Spanish at home, or who acquired the language during a long stay in a Spanish-speaking country, or who actually speak Spanish as their first tongue might be able to demonstrate an advanced or superior command of the language. Thus, heritage speakers, native speakers, adult, returning, and non-traditional students (such as international students enrolled in an ESL program at Saint Rose, for instance) interested in pursuing the Certificate in Translation Spanish < > English, may apply for academic credit for learning acquired throughout life and work experience. In order to systematize this process, the Department of World Languages and Cultures (WLC) has developed a portfolio option, which allows students to document knowledge about the Spanish language and cultures acquired outside the classroom.
Students applying for the portfolio option may be awarded up to nine (9) credits of upper-level elective coursework, out of a total of 18 credits required for the Certificate. The three courses that make up the core of the program are excluded from this option:
- SPA 326 Introduction to Translation and Interpretation
- SPA 425 Advanced Translation
- SPA 494 Translation Internship
These are the three different portfolio options that students pursuing the Certificate may submit for WLC’s faculty consideration:
Three-credit portfolio
- OPI* level of Advanced Mid
- Transcripts including college and pre-college
- Essay** on an issue of world or national concern
Six-credit portfolio
- OPI level of Advanced Mid or Advanced High
- Transcripts including college and pre-college
- Essay on an issue of world or national concern
- Essay on a work of literature or film originally written/released in Spanish
Nine-credit portfolio
- OPI level of Superior
- Transcripts including college and pre-college
- Essay on an issue of world or national concern
- Essay on a work of literature or film originally written/released in Spanish
- Essay on regional or sociolinguistic variation in the Spanish language
GUIDELINES FOR PORTFOLIO COMPLETION
- OPI:Â The Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) evaluates speaking skills in the language tested (Spanish, in this case) according to national standards established by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Please see pages 4 through 6 of the proficiency guidelines for detailed information on what is expected of speakers at the Advanced Mid, Advanced High, and Superior levels.
To schedule a test in person or on the phone, contact:
LTI, The ACTFL Testing Office
445 Hamilton Avenue, Suite 1104
White Plains, NY 10601
Phone: (914) 963-7110
Email: testing@languagetesting.com
- ESSAYS: Each of the essays required for the portfolio must be 1400 to 1600 words long (roughly, the equivalent of six pages double-spaced). The essays must also be written in Spanish unless otherwise indicated in the guidelines below. If quotes are used, they must be brief (equivalent to no more than 10% of the full essay). The bibliography page will not be part of the total word count. The portfolio options follow the College’s policy on Academic Integrity. Any case of plagiarism or use of machine translation will preclude the portfolio from consideration.
- Essay on an issue of world or national concern:Â This essay must discuss an issue that concerns either the Spanish-speaking world (at national and/or regional level), or the Hispanic population living in the United States, or both. It is recommended to choose a topic connected to current affairs. The candidate submitting this essay must be able to show an understanding of different cultural practices and perspectives, as well as an awareness of cultural changes and variations among different cultures comprising the Spanish-speaking world.
- Essay on a work of literature or film originally written/released in Spanish:Â In this essay, the candidate must be able to interpret texts (written or film) pointing out and explaining the connections between theme, style, and historical context. These connections should be analyzed in the essay from a critical perspective, revealing how the text counters, perpetuates, or ignores the prevailing cultural tradition.
- Essay on regional or sociolinguistic variation in the Spanish language: In this essay, the student must be able to demonstrate an understanding of nuance and cultural content in language variation, as well as awareness of how variations determined by region, gender, class, age, social environment, etc. change meaning. This essay could focus, for instance, on regional language variation, or on how different male speech is from female speech, or on how one varies a message that is meant for friends vs. to a professor. Candidates applying from a Spanish speaking country must submit this essay written in English, to demonstrate an advanced level of ability in the English language.