NAATI sets language policies to help candidates understand how NAATI will assess language use during their test. This includes how examiners will assess language variation or borrowing.
NAATI’s general policies on language variation and borrowing, as well as specific information for each language we offer tests in, are below. The language-specific policies complement, but don’t override, the general policies.
- Language variation is the different ways people from different regional areas or social groups use the same language.
- Borrowing is how people borrow words and signs from languages other than their own.
General policies
It is recognised that variations in vocabulary and usage may arise in the same languages as spoken in different countries, e.g. Portuguese in Portugal and in Brazil; French in France and in Canada, English between Australia and other English speaking countries. Individuals sitting a CCL test must be able to understand regional variations within the language. In these cases, markers also make allowances for variation. Examiner panels are aware of regional variations and make allowances for this during the marking process.
NAATI recognises that there are languages in which English words are regularly and commonly used by speakers of languages other than English (LOTE) and this usage is widely understood within the LOTE-speaking community in Australia. NAATI accepts that there may be LOTE words that could have been used (as an alternative to the English word) but the candidate will not be penalised where the English word is regularly and commonly used by LOTE speakers. It is also considered appropriate for the limited use of English words in a CCL test dialogue where the usage is part of the language norms and conventions.
Language specific information
A
Refer to General Policies A and B.
Refer to General Policies A and B.
The use of English terms should be restricted to transliterated words that have gained currency and become lexicalised in the Arabic language in general تلفون، تاون هاوس، إيدز (telephone, town-house, AIDS).
Refer to General Policies A and B.
There are two main streams of the Assyrian language known as Eastern and Western. The stream most prevalent in Australia is that of the Eastern group. The Eastern group of dialects divides into four main sub dialects.
The classical sub-dialect is the only agreed dialect which provides widespread effective communication. While NAATI understands that there are other dialects spoken, the classical subdialect is the one used by NAATI in its CCL testing.
B
Refer to General Policies A and B.
The CCL test uses Chalit Bangla, the Modern Colloquial Standard (MCS) based on contemporary spoken Bangla.
Refer to General Policies A and B.
In line with Australian government policy regarding the Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian languages, NAATI treats these as different languages, each with its own characteristics. Consequently, no tests are held in the ‘Serbo-Croatian’ language. Candidates must nominate whether they wish to be tested in the Bosnian, Croatian or Serbian languages.
Refer to General Policies A and B.
Country-specific terms and expressions can be used, but to a limited extent. The candidate should be able to:
- Express him/herself in appropriate non-dialectal Bulgarian; and
- Understand dialectal Bulgarian.
The CCL test reading is done in non-dialectal Standard Bulgarian which should not pose any difficulty to any competent user of Bulgarian
Refer to General Policies A and B.
The CCL test uses Standard Burmese. If the candidate uses a form of non-standard Burmese (which majority of Burmese speakers cannot understand) the candidate will be penalised. Candidates should also be aware of and use culturally sensitive registers.
The use of non-Burmese words is allowed when these words are adopted or borrowed from English or another language and if they are commonly used in standard Burmese.
C
Refer to General Policies A and B.
Modern Chinese comprises seven major groups of dialects, which, in their spoken form, differ among themselves to such an extent that they may be considered as being virtually separate languages. They are largely mutually incomprehensible.
Yue dialects, one of which is known in English as Cantonese, are native to about five per cent of the population of China and are widely spoken in Hong Kong. Many overseas Chinese, including many residents of Australia with ethnic Chinese background, are native speakers of Cantonese.
Refer to General Policies A and B.
In line with Australian government policy regarding the Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian languages, NAATI treats these as different languages, each with its own characteristics. Consequently, no tests are held in the ‘Serbo-Croatian’ language. Candidates must nominate whether they wish to be tested in the Bosnian, Croatian or Serbian languages.
Refer to General Policies A and B.
D
Refer to General Policies A and B.
Some variations in vocabulary and usage may arise when candidates sitting a CCL test are from Belgium and speak Flemish, which is considered to be a Dutch dialect. Examiners will make allowances for this in the marking process. The same applies to Suriname, where Dutch is the official language.
The use of Friesian (spoken in Friesland – a province of the Netherlands) and Afrikaans are not acceptable.
Many English words are regularly and commonly used by Dutch speakers, even when there is a Dutch word that could be used instead. Where limited use of such English words/expressions occurs, this will not be penalised, as long as they are regularly used by Dutch speakers.
NAATI acknowledges that there are some regional variations/dialects of the Dzongkha language in terms of accents, pronunciation and phonology. For the purposes of NAATI CCL testing, a candidate will be assessed based on mainstream Dzongkha spoken in official communication predominantly in government and education.
The limited use of words that have been adopted or borrowed from English or other dialects in Bhutan and foreign languages is acceptable where there is no Dzongkha equivalent available and if it has been used in everyday communication such as ‘ཀི་ལོ་མི་ཊར’, KM (short form of kilometre)’, ‘ཀི་ལོ་གརཱམ’ KG (short form for kilogram)’, ཏམ་ཁུ (Hindi word for tobacco/cigarette ‘tambaaku’) etc. as the usage is part of the language convention and norms. This means that candidates may occasionally use words from the English language if these would be easily understood by most Dzongkha speakers in Bhutan, especially in scientific, medical and technical fields, or when accurate translation of an English word is not available in Dzongkha. However, if a commonly used Dzongkha word is available, the usage of Dzongkha word is preferred. For example ‘དྲུང་འཚོ’ and ‘སྨན་ཁང’ is preferred over ‘Doctor’ and ‘hospital’, ‘ཨའི or ཨ་མ’ and ‘ཨ་པ’ over ‘mommy’ and ‘daddy’ etc.
Use of both formal (ཞེ་ས) and common (ཕལ་སྐད) Dzongkha will be accepted. Bhutanese are respectful by nature, it is common to use ལགས after every sentence. A candidate will not be penalised for using or not using (ལགས). However, incorrect use of grammar will be penalised.
While expressing numbers, use of English numerals will be penalised. Large numbers must be translated into their Dzongkha equivalents. Example, use of lakh or crore instead of (འབུམ or ས་ཡ་བཅུ་ཐམ) will be penalised. The numbers will accepted as long as it is in spoken Dzongkha numeric or word for eg. 5 as ༥ or ལྔ.
F
Refer to General Policies A and B.
Refer to General Policies A and B.
Refer to General Policy B.
The CCL test uses non-dialectical Standard French and CCL test candidates are expected to express themselves in non-dialectical, non-regional French.
Country specific terms can be used but to a very limited extent, e.g. numbers such as nonante instead of quatre-vingt-dix by Belgian or Swiss speakers would be accepted.
G
Refer to General Policy B.
The CCL test uses non-dialectical Standard German and CCL test candidates are expected to express themselves in non-dialectical, non-regional German.
Country specific terms can be used by candidates but to a very limited extent, e.g. Grüß Gott for example by Austrian speakers or Grüezi by Swiss speakers instead of Guten Tag.
Refer to General Policies A and B.
Within the Greek Community in Australia, as with many NESB communities, ethnolect (i.e. the use of terms which are not clearly English or Greek but a ‘hybrid’ of the two) are not considered appropriate Greek language for the purposes of this testing.
NAATI acknowledges that there are some regional variations/dialects of the Gujarati language. For the purposes of NAATI CCL testing, a candidate will not be penalised for the dialects spoken in the various regions of Gujarat, as long as what is being said would be understood by an average Gujarati person living in Gujarat.
The limited use of English words is considered appropriate where the usage is part of the language convention and norms. This means that candidates may occasionally use words from the English language if these would be easily understood by a majority of Gujarati speakers in Gujarat, especially in scientific, medical and technical fields, or when accurate translation of a word is not available in Gujarati. However, if a commonly used Gujarati word is available, the preferences is for the same, for example Nokri or Kaam is preferred instead of Job. When using numbers in Gujarati, use of English/Hindi numerals (e.g. thirty-six for Chatris) will be penalised. If a figure is provided in millions in English, it must be converted to lakhs or crores in Gujarati and vice versa.
H
NAATI acknowledges that there are regional variations/dialects of the Hazaragi language. However, due to strong cultural and identity connections there is a high level of mutual understanding between these regional dialects.
For the purposes of NAATI CCL testing, a candidate will not be penalised for the dialect spoken as long as what is being said would be understood by an average Hazara person living in Hazaristan. Candidates need to be aware that the Hazaragi language spoken by Hazaras in some locations, including the major cities in Afghanistan, has been heavily influenced by other languages of those cities and areas. Any use of ‘non- Hazaragi’ words will be penalised.
Refer to General Policy A.
Regional variations of dialects and words from English and other languages, which are commonly understood by Hindi, speakers, especially in scientific and technical fields, will be permitted. When using numbers in Hindi, use of English numerals (e.g. thirty-six for chhattees) will be penalised. If a figure is provided in millions in English, it must be converted to lakhs or crores in Hindi and vice versa.
Refer to General Policies A and B.
I
Refer to General Policies A and B.
NAATI considers Indonesian and Malay to be two languages. While there are extensive areas of common ground there are identifiable differences in the typical usage between Malay and Indonesian speakers; relating to such issues as:
- Vocabulary (for instance – Indonesian pemerintah / Malay kerajaan for the government);
- Grammatical structures (for instance – Indonesian mengurangi / Malay mengurangkan for reduce); and
- Pronunciation (for instance – the sound of the letter –a at the end of a word).
For the purposes of marking CCL tests, in those instances where an identifiable difference does exist, examiners will expect candidates who have nominated to sit the test in Indonesian to use identifiably Indonesian usages, and those nominating to sit the test in Malay to use identifiably Malay usages. When a candidate who has nominated to sit the test in one language produces an excessive number of usages relating to the other language, examiners may decide to fail the candidate for that reason.
Candidates sitting a CCL test need to use Standard Italian. The speech of the recording may reflect regional intonations, as may the candidate’s speech. These are considered natural variations within the standard language.
The use of some English words in the LOTE is acceptable where these words are commonly used by native Italian speakers and are part of the lexicon.
J
J
The language used should be the standard form (Hyojungo). Style and register should be appropriate to the subject matter and the mode, and dialect and slang expressions should be avoided.
M
Refer to General Policies A and B.
NAATI considers Indonesian and Malay to be two languages. While there are extensive areas of common ground, there are identifiable differences in the typical usage between Malay and Indonesian speakers. This includes issues such as:
- Vocabulary (for instance – Indonesian pemerintah / Malay kerajaan for the government);
- Grammatical structures (for instance – Indonesian mengurangi / Malay mengurangkan for reduce); and
- Pronunciation (for instance – the sound of the letter –a at the end of a word).
For the purposes of marking CCL tests, in those instances where an identifiable difference does exist, examiners will expect candidates who have nominated to sit the test in Indonesian to use identifiably Indonesian usages, and those nominating to sit the test in Malay to use identifiably Malay usages. When a candidate who has nominated to sit the test in one language produces an excessive number of usages relating to the other language, examiners may decide to fail the candidate for that reason.
Refer to General Policies A and B.
NAATI acknowledges that there are some regional variations/dialects of the Malayalam language. For the purposes of NAATI CCL testing, a candidate will not be penalised for the dialects spoken in the various regions of Kerala, as long as what is being said would be understood by an average Malayalee living in Kerala.
Malayalam has incorporated many elements from other languages over the years, the most notable of these being Sanskrit and English. Hence the limited use of English words is considered appropriate where the usage is part of the language convention and norms. This means that candidates may occasionally use words from the English language if these would be easily understood by a majority of Malayalees in Kerala, especially in scientific, medical and technical fields, or when accurate translation of a word is not available in Malayalam.
However, if a commonly used Malayalam word is available, the preferences is for the same, for example the word Jēāli ജോലി is preferred instead of Job.
When using numbers in Malayalam, use of English/Hindi numerals, for example saying the number “2013” instead of രണ്ടായിരത്തി പതിമൂന്ന് in Malayalam will be penalised.
If a figure is provided in millions in English, it must be converted to lakhs or crores in Malayalam and vice versa.
Refer to General Policies A and B.
Modern Chinese comprises seven major groups of dialects, which, in their spoken form, differ among themselves to such an extent that they may be considered as being virtually separate languages. They are largely mutually incomprehensible.
Northern or Mandarin dialects, also known under the Chinese terms of Beifanghua, Putonghua, Guanhua and Guoyu. About seventy per cent of the total population of China are native speakers of one of the northern dialects.
By decision of the Government of the People’s Republic of China, the dialect spoken by the native inhabitants of Beijing (i.e. Pekingese) has been selected for setting the standards of pronunciation for the variety of Mandarin which has been adopted as the official language for all China and which has been given the name of Putonghua (‘the common language’) or Modern Standard Chinese (MSC). Mandarin is also one of the official languages in Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Candidates specifying to be tested in Mandarin should be able to recognise some of the vocabulary variations between Mandarin as spoken in the People’s Republic of China and in Taiwan.
NAATI acknowledges that there are some regional variations/dialects of the Marathi language. For the purposes of NAATI CCL testing, a candidate will not be penalised for the dialects spoken in the various regions of Maharashtra, if what is being said would be understood by an average Marathi person living in Maharashtra. However, use of words from any other languages that are spoken in states bordering Maharashtra will be penalised.
Limited use of English words is considered appropriate where the usage is part of the language convention and norms. This means that candidates may occasionally use words from the English language if these would be easily understood by most Marathi speakers in Maharashtra, especially in scientific, medical and technical fields, or when accurate translation of an English word is not available in Marathi. For example: weekend, manager, doctor, internet, laptop, microwave, oven, etc. However, if a commonly used Marathi word is available, the usage of Marathi word is preferred. For example ‘nokari’ (नोकरी) or ‘kaam’ (काम) is preferred over ‘job’, ‘sanganak’ (संगणक) over ‘computer’, etc.
Honorific plurals should be appropriately used as a symbol of respect while saying ‘you’ or ‘they’ when referring to someone in the second or third person (i.e. आदरार्थी बहुवचन – tumhi (तुम्ही), te (ते) etc.).
Literal use of incorrect plural or singular words will be penalised. For example: a pair of scissors would not translate to the plural form of the Marathi equivalent ‘Katrya’ (कात्र्या) it would be ‘katri’ (कात्री).
In Marathi, verbs are modified according to the gender of the subject and inanimate objects, unlike in English. Therefore, the verbs should be used according to the context. Incorrect use of verbs will be penalised.
While expressing numbers, sequential counting, time and fractions, the use of English numerals instead of the respective Marathi equivalents will be penalised (e.g. thirty-six for Chattis). Numbers should be converted into their Marathi equivalents respectively. For example: numbers (100, 000 – एक लाख, 10,000,000 – एक कोटी etc.), sequential counting (first – पहिला, second – दुसरा, etc.), time (3:30 – साडे तीन, 3:45 – पावणे चार etc.) and fractions (¼ – पाव, 1 ½ – दीड, etc.).
O
NAATI acknowledges that there are some regional variations/dialects of the Odia language. For the purposes of NAATI CCL testing, a candidate will not be penalised for the dialects spoken in the various regions of Odisha (formerly known as Orissa), if what is being said would be understood by an average Odia person living in Odisha.
The limited use of English words is considered appropriate where the usage is part of the language convention and norms. This means that candidates may occasionally use words from the English language if these would be easily understood by most Odia speakers in Odisha, especially in scientific, medical and technical fields or when accurate translation of an English word is not available in Odia. However, if a commonly used Odia word is available, the preference is for the same, for example “Job/Service” in Odia is “Chakiri” – mobile phone, fridge, 3G network, satellite.
When a candidate who has been nominated to sit the test in one language produces an excessive number of usages relating to the other language, examiners may decide to apply penalty for that reason.
Plurals are used as a symbol of respect while saying ‘you’ or ‘they’; while referring to someone in second- or third person addressing in Odia.
Literal use of incorrect plural or singular words will be penalised. Gender of the actor and inanimate objects modify the use of the verbs differently in Odia, unlike in English.
Incorrect use of verbs is not acceptable.
If a figure is provided in millions in English, it must be converted to “Lakhya” or “Koti” in Odia and vice versa.
Use of copula is not mandatory in Odia language. A sentence can make complete sense with or without the use of it.
Most of the Odia words end with a vowel sound so that it can convey the correct meaning in Odia language.
P
Refer to General Policies A and B.
The language the Pashto CCL tests are spoken in is also referred to as Southern Pashto, an official national language of Afghanistan.
Refer to General Policies A and B.
Only English words (or words in a language other than Persian), with no substitute in Persian (mainly technical words, in various fields) will be allowed.
Refer to General Policy A.
The use of English terms should be restricted to words that have gained currency and become widely used and understood in the Polish language, e.g. weekend, manager, design, top.
Refer to General Policy B.
It is recognised that variations in vocabulary and usage may arise in the same language as spoken in different countries, e.g. Portuguese in Portugal and in Brazil. The Portuguese CCL test reading is delivered in a neutral accent which should not pose any difficulty to a competent user of Portuguese. Individuals sitting a CCL test must be able to understand regional variations within the language. Examiner panels are aware of regional variations and make allowances for this during the marking process.
Refer to General Policy A.
NAATI testing is in Punjabi (Eastern), Punjabi (Western) is not currently offered.
When speaking in Punjabi, candidates may occasionally use words from the English language and other regional languages if they would be easily understood by a majority of Punjabi speakers in Australia. For example – mobile phone, fridge, 3G network, satellite.
Frequent use of words from other languages that would not be understood by many Punjabi speakers will be penalised. For example because, marriage, documents.
When referring to numbers in Punjabi the use of English numerals (e.g. thirty-six for chhattee) will be penalised. If a figure is provided in millions in English, it must be converted to lakhs or crores in Punjabi and vice versa.
R
Refer to General Policies A and B.
Refer to General Policies A and B.
Test candidates are expected to interpret into the non-dialectical and non-regional standard Russian.
Candidates should follow the rules set in:
- Розенталь Д. Э., Джанджакова Е. В., Кабанова Н. П. Справочник по правописанию, произношению, литературному редактированию (A Manual on Spelling, Pronunciation and Literary Editing by D.E. Rozental, E.V. Dzhandzhakova and N.P. Kabanova),
- Зализняк А. А. Грамматический словарь русского языка. Словоизменение. (A Grammar Dictionary of the Russian Language. Word Modification. by A.A. Zaliznyak),
- Русское литературное произношение и ударение. Словарь-справочник / Под ред. Р. И. Аванесова и С. И. Ожегова. (Russian Literary Pronunciation and Stress. Dictionary-Manual / Ed. R.I. Avanesov and S.I. Ozhegov.),
- Борунова С. Н., Воронцова В. Л., Еськова Н. А. Орфоэпический словарь русского языка: произношение, ударение, грамматические формы / Под ред. Р. И. Аванесова (Orthoepic Dictionary of the Russian Language: Pronunciation, Stress, Grammatical Forms by S.N. Borunova, V.L. Vorontsova and N.A. Eskova / Ed. R.I. Avanesov),
- Or any other relevant resource approved by Институт русского языка имени В. В. Виноградова Российской академии наук (V.V. Vinogradov Russian Language Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences).
Candidates can use pronunciation, stress, and grammatical and word variations approved by the above- mentioned Russian Language Institute (e.g. neutral gender for «кофе» («чёрное кофе») instead of masculine («чёрный кофе»), stress for «творог» («твóрог» or «творóг») or any of the word equivalents («прото́к», «прото́ка»), as long as they do it consistently throughout the text or dialogue.
Candidates should note that when interpreting names of authorities for which there is an official Russian translation, they should use it.
S
Refer to General Policies A and B.
In line with Australian government policy regarding the Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian languages, NAATI treats these as different languages, each with its own characteristics. Consequently, no tests are held in the ‘Serbo-Croatian’ language. Candidates must nominate whether they wish to be tested in the Bosnian, Croatian or Serbian languages.
Refer to General Policies A and B.
Refer to General Policies A and B.
Refer to General Policies A and B.
T
Refer to General Policies A and B.
Refer to General Policies A and B.
Telugu language is spoken in many parts of India, more prominently in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Yanam (Puducherry).
NAATI acknowledges that there are three prominent regional variations/dialects (Coastal, Rayalaseema and Telangana) of the Telugu language. For the purposes of NAATI CCL testing, a candidate will not be penalised for the usage of these dialects provided what is being said would be understood by an average Telugu person living in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Example:
In conversations some words affect grammar and give different perceptions. Telugu generally lacks a neutral gender, and plural addressing is routinely used to designate singular nouns as a form of respect. Therefore, the interpretation shall recognise the context and use appropriate form suitable for the context.
To express numbers, the candidates are expected to use the respective Telugu equivalents. In expressing various paternal/ maternal relationships that are expressed like ‘Aunty’, ‘Aunt’ or ‘Uncle’, it is advisable to use proper Telugu equivalents ‘అత్త’, ‘మామ’ etc.
Refer to General Policies A and B.
Refer to General Policies A and B.
Refer to General Policies A and B.
U
CCL test candidates are expected to express themselves in Standard Ukrainian.
NAATI acknowledges the presence of regional variations and dialects in the Ukrainian language. If what is said can be understood by an average Ukrainian speaker, candidates will not be penalized.
Candidates should note that when interpreting names of authorities for which there is no official Ukrainian translation, they should use English name and its transliteration or transcription.
The limited use of words that have been adopted or borrowed from English or other languages is acceptable where there is no Ukrainian equivalent available (eg. маркетинг, коучинг, моніторинг, інтерактивний etc.), and if these words are commonly used in Standard Ukrainian. However, if a commonly used Ukrainian word is available, its usage is preferred, and the excessive use of Anglicisms will be penalised (e.g. connect – конект (зв’язок, з’єднання), old school – олдскульний (застарілий, несучасний).
Vocative case and polite form should be appropriately used as a symbol of respect when addressing someone in the second person while greeting.
Candidates should follow the rules set in:
- Орфоепічний словник української мови: в 2 т. / Уклад.: М. М. Пещак та ін (Orthoepic Dictionary of the Ukrainian language by M.M.Peshchak and et al. )
- Український правопис. Схвалено Кабінетом Міністрів України (Постанова № 437 від 22 травня 2019 р.). (Ukrainian orthography. Approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (Decree No. 437 from 22 May, 2019))
- Великий зведений орфографічний словник сучасної української лексики: 253000 / уклад. і гол. ред. В. Т. Бусел. Київ. (Comprehensive Orthographic Dictionary of Modern Ukrainian Vocabulary by V.T. Busel et al.)
- Словник української мови: в 11 т. Київ. (Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language in 11 volumes)
- Словник української мови: в 20-и т. Т. 1–13. Київ: Український мовно-інформаційний фонд НАН України. (Dictionary of the Ukrainian language in 20 volumes by the Ukrainian Information Fund of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine)
- Or any other relevant resource approved by Інститут української мови НАН України (Language Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine)
NAATI recognises temporary challenges in standardizing the Ukrainian language in line with the requirements of language legislation adopted in 2019. Colloquial Ukrainian represents significant linguistic diversity of the country’s population. Ukrainian dialects in various Ukrainian regions have borrowed extensively from many languages such as Polish, Romanian, Hungarian, Slovakian and to a lesser extent English, German, Yiddish and other European languages. The Ukrainian language in large Ukrainian diasporas in Canada, USA and Australia exhibits specific characteristics. All these realities are being taken into consideration by the current review of the Standard Ukrainian language undertaken by the Ukrainian Authorities.
To stay attuned to the state of the Standard Ukrainian language, NAATI endeavours to follow materials published by the Ukrainian ‘National Commission on the Standards of the State Language’ (https://mova.gov.ua) and integrate their content into the requirements of the NAATI CCL testing. In the meantime, tester and candidates should avoid any colloquialisms in their vocabulary, grammar, stress and pronunciation.
Refer to General Policy A.
The limited use of English words is considered appropriate where the usage is part of the language convention and norms. This means that candidates may occasionally use words from the English language if these would be easily understood by a majority of Urdu speakers in Australia, or when accurate translation of a word is not available in Urdu. Examples of acceptable English words in Urdu include – school, operation, gas bill.
The limited use of the Hindi language is also acceptable where the CCL test candidate demonstrates good transfer of meaning and where these Hindi words would be easily understood by a majority of Urdu speakers.
Candidates are expected to use an appropriate register for each language accordingly.
