Would-be candidates have until May 8 to apply to sit in Macao the first of the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration tests for translators and interpreters from Chinese to Portuguese and vice-versa, the Macao Polytechnic Institute (MPI) says.

On June 2 and 5 the MPI School of Languages and Translation will give instruction free of charge to all registered candidates, according to a written statement issued by the institute on Monday.

The MPI says the number of candidates that can be admitted to each of the instruction sessions is limited, so candidates should go to its website between May 1 and 15 to opt for their preferred session.

The sittings of the tests will be on June 19 and 20, the institute says.

Last month the examining authority announced that the China Accreditation Test for Translators and Interpreters at all three levels would be administered simultaneously in mainland China and Macao.