THE educational PROGRAMME “TRANSLATOR IN THE SPHERE OF PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION” UNDER CURRENT CONDITIONS
The programme of additional professional education (professional development programme) “Translator in the Sphere of Professional Communication” (the programme “Translator”) has been successfully implemented in Russian universities for more than 20 years. During these years the programme’s legal status has changed, approaches to translators’ teaching have evolved, new pedagogical technologies have been designed, education acquisition conditions have been altered. Some universities realising the programme “Translator” have been actively reshaping it in accordance with current requirements while in others upgrading the programme has not been so dynamic. To create a modern and qualitative curriculum of the programme “Translator” it is necessary to analyse an existing Russian and foreign experience of teaching translators in the sphere of professional communication and analyze the students’ needs. To identify the “Translator” students’ needs and their attitude to the educational process at the Saratov State Law Academy the author conducted an online survey (114 respondents (male - 40,4 %, female - 59,6 %), average age M=19.8). Respondents’ answers confirmed conclusions made after academic literature analysis. This resulted in setting forth basic principles of the programme curriculum development: (1) practical classes’ predominance, (2) teaching theoretical disciplines in different formats (including distance technologies), (3) integration of “Translation Theory” and “Practical Course of Professionally Oriented Translation”, (4) using ICT both as a teaching means and as a translators’ professional activities tool, (5) development of specialised courses and/or electives in line with the students’ major.