Language exams-- how did you prepare?

[MtrlHstryGrl]

Hello, folks! I hope you are all doing well in light of the circumstances. 

In preparation for my PhD applications this fall, I will be taking language exams in Latin and French. I have been studying these languages and feel competent in my ability to do well. My MA program offers translation-based exams that seem to be the same set-up as other exams that I have seen in PhD program handbooks-- four hours per exam, translating work, dictionary allowed. I have been focusing much of my language study on grammar because of this, and have been looking at previous language exams from several different universities. Does anyone here have any suggestions about how to prepare for these sorts of language exams? Any help would be very much appreciated. 

(I should also mention that I am fluent in Italian and have done some self-study in German, and I will also be taking an intensive German for research course over the summer. The original research project that I am submitting as a writing sample (and I recently got published!) used Latin, French, and Italian sources, both primary and secondary.) 

[Sigaba]

On 3/31/2020 at 10:53 AM, MtrlHstryGrl said:

Does anyone here have any suggestions about how to prepare for these sorts of language exams? Any help would be very much appreciated. 

I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the policies of the graduate school and your department while also learning all you can about who will administer the exams and in what format the exams will be.

As an example, a historian who speaks French like a native may show up for your exam,  hand off to you a copy of a leaf of a manuscript, a piece of paper, and a writing instrument and tell you what to do without speaking a word of English.

A different professor in the same department may set an equally high bar but in a different way.

If you can satisfy a language requirement in that language's department, you should make sure that POIs in your department are okay with that option before going down that path. (Anything other than an enthusiastic "Go for it!" is an invitation to read between the lines of what the POI is telling you.)

You may also want to understand the limitations of this option. "French for graduate students" may end up being a easy course for you followed by an even easier exam translating a selection you picked well in advance with the help of a dictionary of your choice. But if you're actually going to use  your language skills to do archival research and for personal professional development opportunities, you may decide to focus on long term gains.

[psstein]

2 hours ago, Sigaba said:

As an example, a historian who speaks French like a native may show up for your exam,  hand off to you a copy of a leaf of a manuscript, a piece of paper, and a writing instrument and tell you what to do without speaking a word of English.

This happens more often than you'd suppose. One of my colleague's French language proficiency exam was "translate this passage from Foucault in front of me."

 

[TMP]

6 minutes ago, psstein said:

This happens more often than you'd suppose. One of my colleague's French language proficiency exam was "translate this passage from Foucault in front of me."

 

Yikes!  Even so, one of our French historians (a native speaker) actually holds his independent studies in French with those with proficiency.  Notwithstanding, most profs are just happy to have you "check off" the box ASAP so you can focus on your coursework but may set the bar higher during exam preparations (i.e. my major field examiners wanted me to use the original language of translated terms  in our one-on-one conversations and my writtens. For escape, Sonderweg instead of "special path" and Kaiserreich instead of imperial Germany/Second Empire.  Honestly, "language exams" are very adviser-based.  I wouldn't lose sleep over it as you apply to PhDs.

[Sigaba]

57 minutes ago, TMP said:

Sonderweg 

Painful painful memories.

I'm sure that the full translation is "special path to pain for Americanists who want try to keep up with German social historians."

Painful.

[TMP]

On 4/1/2020 at 9:26 PM, Sigaba said:

Painful painful memories.

I'm sure that the full translation is "special path to pain for Americanists who want try to keep up with German social historians."

Painful.

This just cracked me up!

[MtrlHstryGrl]

On 4/1/2020 at 8:26 PM, TMP said:

Honestly, "language exams" are very adviser-based.  I wouldn't lose sleep over it as you apply to PhDs.

This is fair! I mostly thought it would be a good idea as I do not have any French (or Latin) officially on my transcripts, though I do cite French articles and Latin primary sources (with translations in footnotes) in the piece I would like to use for my writing sample. 

[TMP]

9 hours ago, MtrlHstryGrl said:

This is fair! I mostly thought it would be a good idea as I do not have any French (or Latin) officially on my transcripts, though I do cite French articles and Latin primary sources (with translations in footnotes) in the piece I would like to use for my writing sample. 

Then that suffices for now.  Just get in first.