The empowerment of translation and interpreting training in the UK in an era of economic hardship

Globalisation and the advance in technological developments have contributed to a huge growth in the translation and interpreting sector over the last decade. Language Service Providers are rapidly evolving to be able to meet the demands and challenges arising from this growth. This rapid surge calls for new approaches to the professional training given to future practitioners in multilingual and cross-cultural communication so that they can meet the fast-paced market requirements. This paper will examine the current state of HE training provision on postgraduate T&I programmes in the UK. It will look into the compatibility between the provision of these courses and the demands from the translation and interpreting industry and employers, and it will suggest some amendments to this training aiming at equipping future professionals with the necessary skills needed in the changing marketplace. The paper will also advocate for stronger collaborative partnerships between employers, T&I professional bodies and HE institutions to help implement meaningful and sustainable changes in the way training is carried out. This will not only enhance students/future professionals´ learning experiences but will also help secure a viable long-term future for these training programmes, so that they can respond and adapt quickly to any possible on-going changes in the sector.