Innovations in the Content of Professional Training of Interpreters and Translators in Countries of Europe, the USA and Ukraine: Comparative Analysis

Abstract

The article deals with the analysis of innovations in the content of professional training of interpreters / translators at universities of Europe, the USA and Ukraine. It has been established that at European and American universities the innovation data involves directing professional education of translators and interpreters towards studying CAT-systems within the context of traditional disciplines, specialized disciplines, extracurricular courses, trainings and in the process of students’ translation/interpretation traineeship and study placement. Based on the comparative analysis of the curricula for specialists’ training in translation/interpretation in European countries, the USA and Ukraine, the conclusion is drawn that in higher education of Ukraine theoretical training traditionally prevails over practical field experience, general classroom hours are not sufficient for students, while Ukrainian universities’ curricula lack disciplines aimed at the formation of technological (information, computer) expertise of prospective interpreters and translators. The authors of the article recommend using the experience of western universities on implementing innovations within the content of professional training of interpreters and translators at Ukrainian universities, namely: a) increasing the number of classroom activity hours in practical training of interpretation/translation students by means of reducing extracurricular hours; b) changing the ratio of disciplines of theoretical and practical training of future interpreters and translators in favour of the latter by decreasing the number of theoretical subjects; c) including disciplines aimed at the formation of prospective experts’ information competency into the curricula; d) providing both short-term and long-term traineeship in interpreter/translator training programs, preferably at international organizations (enterprises) operating in Ukraine or at foreign companies abroad; e) providing specialization of professional training of interpreters and translators (technical translation, legal translation, economic translation, medical translation, literary translation, etc.).