Is English or Russian your native language? Have you decided to enrol in a driving school in Prague, but are unsure whether you will be able to pass the theory test, which is conducted in Czech?
Do you have many questions in your native language that your friends have answered, but you would like to take the theory test for your driving licence in your native language?
Then this material is for you. You can use the services of a professional interpreter directly during the driving test and take the test in Russian or English.
We contacted Radoslav Huľo (pictured), an instructor at The Horazny Driving School in Prague, who personally attends many final exams.
"Let me start by saying that our students prepare for their exams at the driving school directly in Russian (English). The driving school has both teaching materials in Russian and all exam questions and tests in Russian (see photo below).
In the Czech Republic, the driving test is only conducted in Czech, but applicants have the right to use the services of an interpreter."
Where can your students find an interpreter?
The driving school has interpreters with whom we have been working for many years. Therefore, the driving school can provide this additional service and provide an interpreter for the exam.
Currently, the additional service of an interpreter during the final exam costs 3,000 koruna.
Radoslav, please tell us first-hand how the final exam takes place after completing training at a driving school with an interpreter.
Before the exam begins, the examiner usually seats the students and interpreters in different parts of the classroom so that they do not disturb each other. There are usually 2-3 interpreters present at each exam.
The theory exam is conducted in Czech. The interpreter sits next to the student and translates the question into Russian, then all the possible answers, and so on, question by question with the suggested answers.
I heard that there are two monitors in the classroom: one for the student and one for the interpreter?
The option with two monitors is possible, but we do not use it yet.
Does the interpreter have something on paper or do they read everything from the monitor?
The interpreter only reads and translates from Czech into Russian from one monitor.
What language are the exam questions translated into at your driving school, and what language do the interpreters you provide translate into?
At the Horazny Driving School (Autoškola Horázný v Praze), in addition to Czech, students can choose individual lessons with a native Russian speaker or lessons in English.
I repeat: with this form of training, all teaching materials are provided in Russian or English. The final tests at the driving school have also been translated into Russian and English. When taking the final exam at the municipal transport department, you can use the additional services of an interpreter.
Are there any plans to change the driving test process with an interpreter?
As I have already said, the Ministry plans to introduce two monitors for driving tests with an interpreter. This is planned to eliminate any possibility of interpreters giving hints during the test.
The student will have their own monitor, and the interpreter will have their own monitor, and the interpreter will not be able to see the student's monitor. The interpreter's monitor will not display traffic situations or pictures related to the questions. The interpreter will only translate and see the text of the questions and answers so that they cannot give hints to the students. To repeat: as of today, the exam is conducted using a single monitor.
Are there any time differences between students with and without interpreters during the exam?
No, the exam time is the same for everyone. Thirty minutes is sufficient time to complete the theory exam, which consists of 25 questions, even taking into account the time required for interpretation.
What benefits do you think a translator service provides during final exams?
Take a look: foreigners, even those who are conversational in Czech, usually think in their native language.
During the exam, such students usually translate the questions and answers into their native language in their heads, thereby wasting precious time on translation during the exam. The interpreter reads the text of the questions and answers to the students in Russian immediately.
The interpreter provides, so to speak, comfort when taking the exam in the student's native language. Without an interpreter, foreigners lose time reacting when they see text in a foreign language.
Do all students pass their exams with an interpreter?
Recently, I saw a case (not at our driving school) where a student only answered 27 out of 50 questions correctly. In my opinion, this is a case that I have not seen in many years.
The Horazny Driving School has a criterion that must be met before a student can take the exam: they must correctly complete five mock tests in a row. It is not necessary to get all 50 points, it is enough if the student gets 43 points or more.
There are cases when a student tries to cheat the teacher during the mock exams, but in the end, they do worse on the actual exam. Poor preparation for the exam will inevitably show, as was the case when a student answered only 27 out of 50 questions correctly.
But can you just get lucky on the theory exam?
This can happen, but after passing the theory exam, there is a practical exam — the driving test. There, the student must know all the rules, signs and traffic situations. This means that the driving test will show whether the student really knows the rules of the road or not.
And to conclude our conversation, it is important to note:
According to Radoslav, an instructor at the Horazny Driving School in Prague, taking the driving test with an interpreter is not only more comfortable from a psychological point of view, but in most cases also reduces the risk of misunderstanding, for example, a single word. The interpreter will quickly and correctly translate the word into Russian.
Also, according to the instructor at the Horazny Driving School in Prague, in most cases, an interpreter is not needed during the driving test. During the driving test, in addition to the examiner, your instructor who taught you in Russian will also be present (if you chose the appropriate form of training at the driving school). During the driving test, your instructor can translate the examiner's commands (direction of movement) into Russian.
To be continued.
Material prepared by Boris Kogut