Adapting to technological change: An investigation of translator training and the translation market in the Arab world

Abstract

This study overviews the technology-related skills required by the translation market and the potential (mis)alignment between market needs and the skills developed in translator training programs in the Arab world. To this end, we collected and analyzed a corpus of 145 job ads for Arabic translation or localization services, seeking to spot market trends in the technology skills required. The study also collected and analyzed documentary evidence on translation programs in the Arab world to reveal the types of technology-related courses and the skills they foster. The findings reveal that computer-aided translation and software localization skills are increasingly required by the Arabic translation market. Moreover, the number of technology-related courses increased over time as training programs updated their offerings to meet current and expected future market demands. However, only a limited number of translation programs offer localization courses. This indicated a potential area of improvement. This study's insights should inform the development of translator training program courses to meet the job market's evolving needs.