Researching language learning in translation teaching: A comparison of samples from Turkey, Germany, and Spain

Today, many universities have translation education at the level of bachelor's degree. This education can vary according to the variable conditions, and it enables noticeable changes and progress. In these changing and developing conditions, if the translator has a native fluency in the second language, the "this person can translate" kind of a perception disappears. It is acceptable that for a translation education, learning the target language is not the only necessity, but also many more skills are needed to do the translation, such as the knowledge of the main theories and the translation competences. When a translator gains the advanced target language knowledge, the things that person needs to acquire can be listed as the target/source culture, translation methods, current translation methods. The translator candidates who have the knowledge of translatorship, must acquire the main competences during the academic years through the knowledge of translation skills, theories, and methods. All these qualifications are the essential qualifications that a translator must have for his or her professional career, as unpredictably the translator might need any of these skills anytime and anywhere. Among all these skills, this study does research specifically about the "language acquisition". In this context, the kind of education the students get during the undergraduate courses they have for the translatorship profession or the academic areas; the course contents of the department of translation and interpreting in Turkey, Germany and Spain are examined and compared.