Translation competence levels put to the test: the NACT framework against reality in two translation non-specific degree programs in Italy

In recent years, research in translation pedagogy has devoted considerable efforts to standardizing university-level translator training provision across Europe. The project "Nivelación de competencias en la adquisición de la competencia traductora" (NACT, PACTE 2018) is one of such efforts aiming to develop a framework of competence levels in translation comparable to the CEFR for language skills. Designed to meet the training needs emerged within university programs specifically devoted to translator training, the framework can prove problematic when applied within general Foreign Modern Languages programs with limited specialization in translation.
The present study proposes an evaluation of the applicability of the NACT model in the context of university programs not specifically addressed to the training of translators, analyzing the Spanish translation courses in undergraduate and Masters’-level programs active in the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures of the University of Chieti-Pescara. The results show that the syllabi analyzed closely reflect the progression defined in the NACT model in terms of competence levels (from level A1 to B1+ at undergraduate level and up to level B2 at Masters-level). However, the applicability of the model is considerably limited by factors such as excessive class size, inadequate access to IT resources and students’ poor language proficiency.