Motivaciones para estudiar traducción en idiomas extranjeros en la Universidad de Concepción (Chile)

Abstract

The Translation and Interpretation undergraduate program at Universidad de Concepción (Chile) receives 80 new students every year which represents its maximum capacity. Exceptionally, there have been years with a 100 or even 120 freshmen. Currently, the program has 391 students. There is a relatively high rate of course failure; however, this does not necessarily end in dropouts. Taking this situation into account, we decided to examine what the main reasons for the students to enter the program were. To this end, we conducted a survey among students from first to fourth year (2013-2016). This paper presents the main findings concerning the students' entrance profile (school grades average, diagnostic test results and previous university studies, among others). Aspects such as students' different first-choice undergraduate programs, previous knowledge and motivations to apply for the Translation and Interpretation Program and work and training expectations were also explored. The information collected will allow the creation of a more comprehensive student's profile and relate the students' motivations to their academic success or failure in the program.