How are translators being trained in Portugal?
The last couple of years have witnessed some major changes in Translator Training in Portugal. Some of the changes have of course been due to the Bologna process, but many others have not. In the not so distant past Translation degrees did not even exist in Portugal and when they finally made their appearance, they were initially offered by private higher education institutions rather than state-run ones. Most of the courses on offer that can eventually be the ones chosen by those meaning to lead a career in Translation are much more general in their scope and include training on diverse areas (Literature, Linguistics, International Relations, Secretarial Skills, etc.), one of which is Translation. So nowadays, after Translation has benefited from increasing attention from academics, and the very first PhDs have been completed in the field, there is a wide choice of options for those wanting to pursue their studies in the subject. The training options currently range from first degrees to postgraduate diplomas, from professional courses to workshops and short courses. But the real questions now are: Are there suddently too many options? Are there too many courses? Are we training too many translators in Portugal? And are the courses on offer the most appropriate ones? Are there any gaps that have not yet been filled? This is in a nutshell what I will try to explore in my paper.
Fatima Dias