Assessing Translator Education in the Light of Competency-Based Approaches: Dashboard Indicators and Stakeholders’ Sense-Making
The effect of globalization and the increasing demands on the job market have induced many countries in the world to introduce reforms aimed at streamlining their higher education curricula. The demand for a more flexible workforce with high skills (competencies) in problem solving, team work and...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Lasting Impressions Press
2017-09-01
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| Series: | International Journal of English Language and Translation Studies |
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| Online Access: | http://www.eltsjournal.org/archive/value5%20issue3/14-5-3-17.pdf |
| Summary: | The effect of globalization and the increasing demands on the job market have induced many
countries in the world to introduce reforms aimed at streamlining their higher education curricula.
The demand for a more flexible workforce with high skills (competencies) in problem solving, team
work and project management has been on the rise in recent years and the incorporation of
competency-based curriculum has emerged as a necessity in the higher education sector. However, in
spite of the growing popularity for the need to prepare graduates for the workplace, the actual
academic culture and formative processes are yet to be tailored to address these new exigencies. The
aim of this paper is to analyze in what manner competence and competence-based learning are being
currently implemented in the Advanced School of Translators and Interpreters (ASTI) of the
University of Buea in Cameroon. Competency dashboard indicators from best practice frameworks
are used to assess stakeholders’ sense-making as levers for quality assessment in translation learning.
An opinion survey of 60 trainee translators and 12 instructors helped to identify factors, instructional
and otherwise which promote or inhibit the success of competence-based education. The study posits
that systemic and environmental issues, as well as organizational, teaching and learning, assessment,
and quality assurance issues are germane to the effective implementation of generic and specific
competencies. The ensuing proposals advocate for a responsive translator training and education that
is more personalized and adaptive to address higher education’s challenges of access, quality, and
affordability for a diverse set of students. |
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| ISSN: | 2308-5460 2308-5460 |