Translator intercultural competencethe concept and means to measure the competence development

Resumen

The thesis addresses the need for developing student translators¿ intercultural competence within higher education Translation (and Interpreting) degrees. It aims at making a formalised contribution towards the general goal of developing methodologically sound translator intercultural training. More specifically, the major objectives were: (1) to define the construct of translator-tailored intercultural competence and (2) to propose means of determining the students¿ developmental level in terms of the various aspects of translator intercultural competence identified. The theoretical part of the study, guided primarily by Heidrun Witte¿s approach, contributes towards the first major objective set by formulating a set of learning objectives, provisionally distributed among the five competence components identified on the basis of the literature review. The factor analysis ¿ conducted during the empirical phase ¿ led to re-designing the model: the total was kept unchanged but the building blocks were given different shape. As a result, an eight-factor model of translator intercultural competence, primarily validated with the tryout sample is the study output or contribution with respect to the first objective, that of defining the construct of translator-tailored intercultural competence. In terms of the second major objective, two interrelated measured were designed: a Self-Report Questionnaire and a Performance Test. Initially piloted in English (the students¿ first foreign language), these were then re-created in Spanish, Russian and English and the Spanish version of the two tests has been tried out. The outcome, therefore, consists of two interrelated tools created specifically for determining the level of translator intercultural competence and its various constituents, as spelled out in the part that corresponds to the first major objective. The Self-Report Questionnaire permits instructors to collect data about the students¿ perceived level of development along the learning objectives formulated (about the learning outcomes achieved, from the students' point of view). The Performance Test allows seeing what students can actually do. Applied together, the two measures can also serve for determining the level of students¿ monitoring capacity: for estimating how well students can evaluate their own developmental level(s). This ability is considered indispensable for student translators to become autonomous learners and be prepared to continue working on their intercultural competence on a lifelong basis. Three additional contributions made by the thesis towards the general goal of developing methodologically-sound translator intercultural training are explained in the Conclusion.