A Survey Report On MTI Students Perceptions Of The Translation Market And Translator Training

The study in this thesis attempts to explore the nexus between the translation market and professional translation education.Previous studies or surveys have indicated a growing translation market,yet professional education systems around the world that fail,to varying degrees,to meet its demands.It will undoubtedly contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the status quo of translation market and translation education through the views of translation majored students to explore their experiences and views as insiders,which will provide some references for the related teaching as well.However,a general lack can be found regarding insider perspectives of MTI students,a growing group,especially in China5 s mainland.To fill the gap,except exploring their education and translation experiences,this study is targeted at this group of people,mainly to explore their views on the prospect of translation market,its demands on its professionals,and to what extent translation training programs succeed in preparing them for the market in China.The investigation of MTI students’ perceptions of the translation market is mainly based on relevant survey reports from the Translators Association of China,and that of these students’ perceptions of the translator training,Translator Competence related theoretical and empirical studies.Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data(online questionnaire survey of83 MTI students and interviews with 10 students),and the data were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively to make the results more accurate and comprehensive.The findings of the investigation show that although the translation market has witnessed the great growth of the translation profession,students are not positive about the prospect of translation/interpretation as a profession.In addition,although MTI programs focus on the cultivation of students’ practical abilities,they haven’t gone far enough to satisfy the requirements of the market: Most students are unaware of the significance of project management;CAT courses differ in terms of quality of teachers,availability and curriculum status and there is a lack of guidance generally regarding the utilization of translation related software;work placements are not guided by school and the effect of the practice is not good enough.Based on the results,it is suggested that on the one hand,efforts should be made to make the translation industry as a whole more competitive and regulated,and on the other hand,MTI programs should gear their content and teaching methods more closely to the demand of the translation market.