Within the educational sphere, instruction and assessment have been acknowledged as two distinct realms which must be brought into closer nexus (Lantolf and Poehner 2004). In the translation educational setting, apart from the distinction between instruction and assessment, the apparent lack of an effective model of translation quality assessment has led us to develop a translation assessment software, which covers both diagnostic and instructional functions. More specifically, following Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory and dynamic assessment approaches, this study pursued the design of a computerized open-ended bi-functional translation assessment system (COBTAS) to, firstly, enhance translation trainees` performance during the procedure by providing pre-set instructional mediations to the students. Then, it was attempted to diagnose the examinees` actual and learning potential abilities in the specified constructs. Furthermore, the study set out to ensure validity and reliability of the newly-developed software. The results revealed that COBTAS is a reliable instrument for demonstrating translation trainees` actual as well as proximal

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