An experimental study on the acquisition of cultural competence in translators' training. Results of a pilot study

This article presents the main results obtained in the pilot test of an experimental study on the acquisition of cultural competence in translator training. This study is part of PACTE's (Process in the Acquisition of Translation Competence and Evaluation) research into the acquisition of translation competence. The research design of this study was pilot tested with a sample of five trainee translators in the final year of the degree in Translation and Interpreting at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Subjects' L2 was German, and Spanish or Catalan was their native language. Data was gathered to test the suitability of the sample-selection criteria, the translation problems that were selected for deeper analysis, the performance of the data collection instruments and the length and order of the experimental tasks. Results show that the data collection instruments gathered relevant data, the selected sample was drawn from a normal population and that the translation problems selected for deeper analysis were suitable. However, the experimental tasks have to be revised and more data on cultural aspects has to be collected.