Exploring translation competence through retrospective self-reports – a case study

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to explore the significance of self-reflection in the process of building translation competence in novice translators. The paper describes various concepts and models of translation competence that have emerged in recent years. When considering the acquisition of translation competence as a continuous process, it is important to precisely define its starting point. The tests used to assess students’ skills prove their proficiency, but they do not give any insight into the translation process itself. For this reason, this paper briefly presents the state of research on the translation process, with particular emphasis on the attempts to record this process through verbalisations of thoughts. The main part of the paper is a case study presenting the practical application of self-reports in the translation course. The conclusions of this study may be useful for designing translator training curricula and verifying educational results.