ABSTRACT
In the increasingly demanding professional world of work, higher education needs to develop a more appropriate – responsive and effective – pedagogy that will enhance graduates’ employability. However, Vietnamese tertiary education programmes have not yet adjusted to current work requirements (Chiến lược phát triển giáo dục Việt Nam 2011–2020, 2012). Based on a case study of university BA (bachelor of arts) language programmes in the translation major, this empirical research examines perceptions by translators, students and trainers of how translation work is performed in professional practice, and compares that with how translation is approached in training within the context of Vietnamese higher education. The study recruited participants from university language translation programmes and translation organisations in Vietnam through mixed methods of online surveys and follow-up interviews. Data analysis was based on a framework adapted from the translator competence models of Kelly (2005) and Kiraly (2016). Responses received reveal discrepancies between what is required in professional practice and what is learnt in training, with evidence of pedagogical practices lacking alignment to real life contexts.
