'To be an explainer': a reporting test of oral proficiency

Abstract

Following the idea of a ‘Reporting Test’ of oral proficiency in English presented in ELT Journal 40/3: 212–20 by Shohamy, Reves, and Bejarano, we adapted and carried out the same kind of test in a Chinese university during an in-service teacher-training course for college and university teachers of English. The present article describes how this was done, then goes on to question what such a test (which required explanation, in English, of an item from a Chinese newspaper) was actually testing, and examines its potential implications for the teaching of translation. Finally, we consider reasons why a Reporting Test, as one measure of oral proficiency, may be of value for Chinese learners of English.