The Impact of Technology in Professionalising Translation Graduates: E-Learning Experiences in the MA in Translation

Due to recent changes in the translation industry, our understanding of translator competence (Kiraly 2000) has evolved to feature more prominently the translator’s ability to effectively use new technologies. Against this background and from the early 2000s, scholarship in the teaching of translation (Samson 2013; Gouadec 2003; Kiraly 2000) has highlighted the need to include information and communication technologies (ICT) and computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools as part of translation curricula.

At our institution, a decision was made to move the two foundational courses in the MA in Translation (French/Spanish) to online delivery, starting September 2019. This paper describes how course content and assessment were restructured to account for recent developments in the pedagogy of the discipline as well as the new virtual environment, and to highlight the training potential of CAT and online tools. Moreover, it assesses the researcher’s e-teaching experiences with regard to the impact that emphasising translation technologies in a virtual environment had in the programme.