The Compliance of Translation Programs in Yemeni Universities with the Local Translation Market Needs

Abstract

One major complaint of the undergraduate Yemeni translation programs’ graduates is the poor skills they have that do not qualify them for the market. The aim of this study was to help solve this problem by mapping translation programs with the market needs. Specifically, the researcher selected two major components of translation programs’ specification documents which were the intended learning outcomes and course titles. The researcher used the findings of a previous study that identified the Yemeni translation market needs and aligned them to the programs intended learning outcomes and the course titles. The researcher developed two content analysis tools to collect data that were validated by a panel of experts. Results reveal that the participating translation programs fall short to satisfy the market needs. It was recommended that Yemeni universities review their programs in light of the market needs. It was also recommended that courses need to be reconsidered to be aligned with the knowledge areas of the needed translations competencies. In addition, private universities were recommended to reconsider their admission policy so as to help facilitate translation competencies acquisition.