Discourse Analysis in Translation Education at the University Level: an Assessment of Students' Attitudes

Abstract

Translator education, as most scholars agree, requires a detailed comprehension of linguistic rules and practices; hence the reason, why within the departments of translation and interpretation, extra importance is given to the discourse analysis course especially in the first two years of the bachelor's programme. The view presented in this paper is that the linguistics based 'discourse analysis' course plays a significant role in translation and interpretation education by strengthening the curriculum and enabling the development of various skills necessary for the translator. To determine the extent and the impact that learning linguistics has on .translator education, eight courses were selected from upper grades (3rd and 4th years) and their relevance with the discourse analysis course was tested by applying a survey to the corresponding students at the end of the academic year. The findings based on the statistical analysis show that improving linguistic competence throughout translator education at the universities result in success in translation and a better understanding of the source text regardless of its type and context.