The Place of Technology in Translator Training Programs in the Arab World

Abstract

Translation technologies knowledge, or ‘technological competence,’ seems to be an agreed-upon component in various translation competence models (see Kiraly 2013, Pym 2013, and the PACTE group's 2003 and 2005 publications). The current study aims to identify the place of technology in translator training programs in the Arab world. Additionally, it seeks to ascertain whether technology-related courses are clearly recognized in the programs’ objectives and course descriptions. To conduct the study, all universities offering MA programs in translation and/or translation and English were identified. Then, a corpus of all translator training programs that offer translation technology courses, including program objectives and course descriptions, was compiled. Finally, a comprehensive description and analysis were carried out to identify The Place of Technology in Translator Training programs in the Arab World. The results of the study reveal that ‘technological competence’ is largely ignored in the vast majority of MA translation programs curricula in the Arab world specifically when it comes to localization courses.