Dr Elsa Huertas Barros, a Senior Lecturer in Translation Studies in the School of Humanities, has been involved in the development of a European reference framework which describes the key competences required for written translation.
The work will result in a common reference framework for translation which will provide homogenised descriptor levels applicable to both academic and professional settings that can be used in Europe and beyond.
Unlike in language teaching, there is no Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) establishing levels of performance in translation education. The EFFORT (European Framework for Translation) project aims to refine translation levels A (initial) and B (intermediate) piloted in a previous project (NACT, based on the project title’s initials in Spanish) coordinated by the PACTE (Process of Acquisition of Translation Competence and Evaluation) Group at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, in which Westminster also played a key role.
Furthermore, the project also aims to describe the translator's areas of specialisation, such as legal, economic, and financial, technical, scientific, and literary, and make a first proposal of descriptors for translation level C for specialist translators.
The University of Westminster is a partner university in this Erasmus+ project EFFORT, which is part of the ongoing Key Action KA2 of the Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships (Higher Education) programme and coordinated by Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Nine further European partners are involved in the project including Universidad de Granada from Spain, Uniwersytet Wroclawski from Poland, Universitatea Alexandru Ioan Cuza Din Iasi from Romania, Université de Genève from Switzerland, Univerza V Ljubljani from Slovenia, Aarhus Universitet from Denmark, Ita-Suomen Yliopisto from Finland and Universiteit Utrecht from The Netherlands.
In addition, 28 partner translation training institutions and four collaborating professional bodies are involved in the project including the International Federation of Translators (FIT Europe), the European Language Industry Association (ELIA), the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL), and the Instituto Cervantes.
Speaking about her involvement in the development of the framework, Dr Huertas Barros said: “A reference framework for translation will have an impact on both translation education and industry. For instance, in academia, it will serve as a reference for curriculum design and developing teaching materials as well as facilitating comparison of different translation programs. In the translation industry, it will serve as a reference for quality assurance, and it will assist with recruitment processes.”
Find out more about Translation and Interpreting courses at the University of Westminster.
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