The Department of French and Italian offers graduate reading exams for grad students at Pitt in other departments.
Students wishing to take a translation exam to prove proficiency should contact:
For Italian: Lina Insana
For French: Chloe Hogg
The French/Italian Reading Examination is a two-hour examination, consisting of one or two passages for translation into idiomatic English. The use of a dictionary is permitted during the examination. Should you not have a suitable dictionary, one will be provided by the Department.
For the purposes of the examination, it is assumed that your reading proficiency in French/Italian is at least equal to that of students who have completed an intermediate-level program (e.g., French/Italian 0103 and 0104). While this acknowledges that problems of comprehension can—and probably do—exist, it is expected that you have a firm knowledge of the basic structure and vocabulary of French/Italian.
The Reading Examination may be scheduled on any weekday during the Fall, Spring or Summer term, except during the final-examination period. No examinations will be scheduled between terms.
Since passages for translation are chosen, whenever possible, in accordance with candidates' fields of specialization, the Department asks that you provide at least two weeks' advance notice for the administration of the Reading Examination. Although every effort will be made to evaluate your examination in a timely fashion, the Department also requests that you allow a maximum of two weeks for evaluation and notification. During the summer months, evaluation may take longer.
If you fail the reading exam on the first time, you must wait one semester before you can retake the exam. This is to ensure you have subsequent time to prepare and pass the exam.