HOW CAN AND SHOULD TRANSLATION TEACHERS BE TRAINED?

Abstract

The need to train a large number of translators necessitates the training of professional translation teachers. At present, translation is taught either by translators having no pedagogical education or by teachers of foreign languages with no degree and often no practical experience in translation. Both categories need additional training that would supplement their education. The existing system of short-time professional development courses is not adequate to the task of filling in the gaps in professional education of translation teachers. The article discusses a conceptually new approach to retraining and training translation teachers that presupposes developing and introducing several type programs. They are extensive retraining programs for those who currently teach translation and two types of master’s degree programs for students having a bachelor’s degree either in translation or in teaching foreign languages. In both types of programs, the pedagogical and translation components of education will supplement each other, so that graduates will acquire competences necessary for being good translation teacher. Special emphasis should be laid on translation didactics which so far has not been taught either in translator training programs or in teacher training programs of any type or level. The authors discuss principles of designing and developing such programs.