Translator training and modern market demands

Abstract

The development of new information and communication technology influences an ever- changing professional reality that requires almost constant updating. Market demands must necessarily find their way into teaching practices, which can respond to the expectations created. The present day reality of the translation market, from a Spanish perspective, reveals deficiencies in translator training. It is not only in Spain that translation teachers will have to re-think existing translator training programmes in terms of present-day market demands to professionals. The present article presents a hands-on course involving concrete translation assignments in a simulated ‘real-life’ set-up, designed to familiarise students with their future working conditions. We call it the ‘Professional Approach for Translator Training’ and it is already implemented at the University of Granada. We hope that others elsewhere can use our ideas, although the specific aims of this programme are geared towards Spanish syllabi, especially since other universities plan to introduce new technology or have already done so (e.g. the University of Leeds, UK). The authors are members of the Aula.int team and are teachers of translation at the University of Granada, Spain.