Becoming a Translator: the Development of Cultural and Intercultural Competence in Spain

Abstract:

Translators need to develop their competence in order to enable intercultural communication and facilitate communication between societies. Therefore, from a professional perspective, the process by way of which cultural and intercultural competence is acquired by future translators, interpreters and social mediators must necessarily be studied.

The structure of this paper is as follows: section 1 is a clarification of our approach to cultural and intercultural competence in translation, together with an analysis of the theoretical framework in which this study has been developed. Section 2 presents the data collected by means of a questionnaire. Moreover, this section also describes the survey instrument and questionnaire items included in order to understand the data obtained. The research is descriptive, it is an analysis and description of an actual situation, taking into account the main agents involved in the acquisition of cultural and intercultural competence, and no attempt has been made to extrapolate the data obtained to the population as a whole.

This empirical study into the acquisition of cultural and intercultural competence in translation training utilises quantitative data gathered at two stages of learning across several academic years (2007-08, 2008-09 and 2010-11) at five Translation Schools in Spain. The questionnaire study encompasses cultural knowledge, level of cultural competence, attitudes and resources, readiness to adapt one’s behaviour and, openness, as well as students’ attitudes towards cultural and intercultural encounters in daily life. The results provide insight into the self-evaluation of student translators with regard to different aspects of their cultural and intercultural competence. Keywords: development of intercultural competence, intercultural communication, translator competence, empirical study, students of translation.

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