Socio-Economic Level and its Influence on the Acquisition of Translation Competence

Abstract

This longitudinal study (2006-2013), which falls within the field of empirical-experimental translation studies, was conducted in the Language School of the Autonomous University of Baja California, Mexico. The search for paradigms to explain the mechanisms by which students translate, and how to evaluate students’ development as they become experts, led me to select the holistic model proposed by the PACTE research group (Process of Acquisition of Translation Competence and Evaluation; PACTE, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2011), which breaks translation competence down into five sub-competences and a psychophysiological component. My working hypothesis was that the higher parents’ socio-economic level, the better their children’s academic performance. The object of study was the fifth semester of the bachelor’s degree in translation, and these variables were measured and analyzed with the aid of a pre-TOEFL exam and the Translog2000 software program. As part of this process, I isolated transfer sub-competence and linguistic sub-competence in L2, which were cross-tabulated with a socio-economic study that recorded monthly family income. The results showed that people with greater purchasing power have a more balanced development in their sub-competences (mainly in their transfer and linguistic sub-competence in L2) and a better holistic translation competence.