La competencia interpersonal en la formación de traductores en España: un estudio empírico-descriptivo del trabajo colaborativo durante la primera etapa de formación en Traducción e Interpretación [Interpersonal Competence in Translator Training in Spain: an empirical-descriptive study on collaborative learning during the first stages of translator training

Abstract

This research is framed in the field of translation studies and more specifically in the area of translator training. It is an empirical-descriptive study of students’perceptions of collaborative learning during the first stages of translator training in Spain. The methodology triangulated both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Four focus groups were held with a sample of students and teachers from the University of Granada. Subsequently, a questionnaire was administered to 191 third-year students of the undergraduate degree in translating and interpreting (Licenciatura en Traduccion e Interpretacion) in five translation and interpreting universities in Spain. This study provides information about an area that has received little attention to date and analyses potential lacunae identified by students during the first stages of translator training.Besides collecting information on students’general perceptions of collaborative learning, theauthor examines the mechanisms that promote collaborative learning and its repercussions during this particular stage of translator training. This thesis sheds light upon: (1) the main characteristics of collaborative learning, including the advantages and disadvantages that it entails; (2) the factors that determine the creation and organisation of teams, especially those aspects concerning their formation and the distribution of tasks between members; (3) group operability during the execution of a group translation commission or task; (4) student perspectives and preferences regarding assessment of group work; and (5) reception and repercussion of feedback provided by the teacher and other students regarding the quality of a group translation commission or task. The results and the innovative nature of this study may be of use in curricular design in translator training and in developing continuing training courses for graduates who wish to continue with lifelong learning