Ross McCalden receiving his award from CIOL Royal Patron HRH Prince Michael of Kent

Congratulations to Ross McCalden, 2025 winner of the Best Candidate Award for CIOL's Master's level qualification, the Diploma in Translation - the long-established translation qualification, which sets the ‘gold standard’ for professional translators worldwide.

The DipTrans thoroughly tests general translation skills as well as the ability to translate in the specialist areas of Technology, Business, Literature, Science, Arts & Culture, Social Science and Law. It is recognised as one of the toughest, but most rewarding, translation exams there is. 

The Award for the DipTrans is presented annually to our highest achieving candidate across all countries, language combinations and specialisms. Ross's language combination is German to English and he achieved a Merit in the General Translation and two Distinctions in the semi-specialised units, which were Business and Law.

We asked Ross what led him to the DipTrans and how did he go about taking it.

Why did you decide to take the DipTrans?

I was researching some options for continuing professional development when I stumbled upon the DipTrans. It was a bigger undertaking than I was originally looking for, but I was up for a challenge and it ticked a lot of boxes for me. As well as being pitched at Master’s level, it offered papers in my chosen areas of specialism (business and law). The fact that it is widely considered as the gold standard for translators and is an internationally recognised qualification were definitely major plusses.

How did you prepare for the exam?

As an experienced in-house translator at a central bank, I decided to attempt the exam without enrolling in a preparatory course. I’m lucky to get regular feedback on my translations from my colleagues, so that was a big help. Otherwise, I took a structured approach and thoroughly researched what was required. I found the examiner’s reports from previous years very helpful.

I also revisited material from the seminars on financial and legal translation that I had attended over the years and regularly read business news in both English and German to make sure I was familiar with current topics. In the weeks before the exam I additionally translated a number of past papers under exam conditions, which helped me gauge time pressure.

How do you see it benefitting your career?

As a regulated and widely recognised qualification, the DipTrans validates my expertise and gives me greater credibility as a translator. It has already opened the door to me becoming a CIOL member and a Chartered Linguist and I’m confident it will continue to have a positive impact on my career going forward.

How do you feel about being the highest scoring candidate?

The news that I had the highest marks across all language pairs came as a great surprise and felt very surreal at first. Ultimately, though, it has definitely boosted my confidence. Being handed the award by HRH Prince Michael of Kent at the award ceremony in London was a wonderful moment and a real career highlight.

Registration for the DipTrans for January 2026 is open. Find out all you need to know about the qualification here.

Views expressed on CIOL Voices are those of the writer and may not represent those of the wider membership or CIOL.