Abstract
The study is focused on translation technology within the system of higher education in Poland, specifically English Studies offering translation specialization at BA and MA level, as well as postgraduate studies aimed at translators of English. The conducted analysis of translation curricula of Polish universities investigates the presence of courses devoted to the use of translation technology and seeks to determine whether such courses are offered at a given level of higher education, where in the system most of the courses are placed, and when they are mostly organized. First, however, a brief overview of different aspects determining the inclusion of translation technology in curricula are discussed. Here, the main stress is placed on its importance for the translation markets, the skills and knowledge obtained by students entering the market which are desired by translation agencies, elements affecting the selection of given translation software, the necessary infrastructure to run such courses, the costs of the programmes, ‘human resources’, the policies of universities, etc. The short discussion is followed by an analysis of the available courses, with each section devoted to one of the levels of the Polish higher education system, namely BA, MA and postgraduate studies. The courses within each level are briefly compared to provide some general tendencies for each type of studies. The final, concluding part of the study summarizes the results and stresses the need for further introduction of translation technology into translation curricula.
Highlights
Since the advent of computers, followed by their gradual ‘conquest’ of different aspects of human life, contemporary proliferation, popularity and even universality, technology has revolutionized almost all domains of professional work, including translation
The presence of computer assisted translation (CAT) tools in the curricula is a chance for practitioners of translation to familiarize themselves with their possibilities, especially if their previous studies have not covered such elements or the time assigned to translation software was unsatisfactorily limited, for instance, they have graduated from their studies before the popularization of CAT tools, or if they attended a different specialization during their original studies
Half of the courses present in the first level of higher education are extended in terms of hours, for instance, 45h or 60h when the average course devoted to different aspects of translation last 30h at Polish universities
Summary
Since the advent of computers, followed by their gradual ‘conquest’ of different aspects of human life, contemporary proliferation, popularity and even universality, technology has revolutionized almost all domains of professional work, including translation. The impact of technology should be reflected in the process of teaching translation and the education of future translators, so that universities, their research and teaching staff are better able to meet the demands of the rapidly developing market and equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills, including the use of specialized translation software. Their application in the translation curricula offered by universities and other higher education institutions is inextricably linked with varying preferences and different attitudes towards their very inclusion. The data might be used to provide a wider comparison of translation curricula offered by other foreign educational institutions to study the differences and similarities observed and to ‘measure’ the level of their technologization, etc
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