earticle

영어

Employability in translation curriculum has been one of the most debated topics in translatortraining practice and research particularly with the start of the Bologna process. The literature abounds with studies referring to employability with specific reference to the notorious gap between what is offered in translator-training programs and what is expected on the translation market. Preparing students to the labor market is certainly one the responsibilities of translatortraining programs. However, as noted by Rodríguez de Céspedes, “employability does not only entail the means of finding a job but also of developing a set of skills, attitudes and aptitudes that evolve through our lives” (2017: 108). So, what is the role of university translation programs in the development of employability skills – lifelong learning skills that help students adapt and respond to the changing market? In translation programs, employability is either embedded in courses of translation theory and practice (use of authentic tasks, translation projects, etc.), or addressed separately (e.g. incorporation of courses on the translation profession or a work placement component into the curriculum). The focus of this study is on employability in translator-training in the Turkish context. As the number of translator-training programs in university settings has proliferated constantly since the emergence of first programs over three decades ago, the number of translation graduates trying to enter the competitive labor market is increasing. Thus, employability skills become important together with pure translation skills. Using data from the curricula of university programs, course descriptions and the results of an online survey for translator trainers, this study seeks to find out to what extent employability is embedded into translator training in Turkey, and to what extent training programs respond to a constantly changing translation market especially with the extensive use of technologies in translation, need for post-editing, changing work modes and finally the global effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study sets out to explore the paradigm shift in the translation profession from the perspective of training.