The present study adopted a process-oriented approach to investigate the efficacy of rubrics as a component of translation competence. In this study, 20 students performed an assessment of a Chinese-English translation. Subsequently, this group underwent a three-week rubric training program and were tasked to perform a second assessment of a similar Chinese-English translation. In both tasks the screen capture program, Camtasia was utilized to record each student’s assessment process. Based on the video recordings it was discovered that across the three rubric criteria (addition, simplification, reformulation), students visited the criterion of addition most frequently, and generated fewest but lengthiest comments. By comparison, they spent less time examining the criterion of simplification, though they produced more comments. It was determined that after undergoing the training module, students showed early signs of rubric internalization, although their rubric mastery was clearly not fully automated. Specific pedagogical applications are thus suggested.