Intercultural competence: trainee translators and interpreters’ experiences of a ‘stand-alone’ module

Intercultural competence is the ability to function effectively with people from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. It is self-apparent that such an ability is axiomatic to the work of translators and interpreters. In Australia, applicants for a translation or interpreting credential need to show evidence of having acquired intercultural competence in their training pathway. Where they cannot do this, they may undertake a stand-alone, 20-hour, flexibly delivered intercultural competence module. This paper reports on the experiences of two cohorts of trainees who undertook training over a 2-year period. Results show that before training, most had either no clear understanding of intercultural competence or believed that it was about learning about ‘the other culture’. Most express satisfaction with the module, but some miss learning materials that are situation-based or specific to their language pair. Most report that intercultural competence finds application in their current (translation/interpreting) work settings as well as outside these, with a substantial number expressing interest in further training. Trainees’ experiences of a stand-alone module provide a learner-centred perspective that further informs the discussion about whether intercultural competence should occupy an overt or embedded place in training programmes.