RELEVANCE OF THE TRAINING RECEIVED BY TRANSLATORS IN NIGERIA: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS

Abstract

The importance of translation can hardly be overemphasized. It is a sociocultural phenomenon that has been with man since people from one linguistic community began mixing with those of other speech communities. The desire to understand and communicate with each other therefore formed the basis for translation. In this study, our aim is to ascertain the degree of relevance of the training received by translators in Nigeria. To achieve this aim, the researchers form hypothesis that border on the fact that training of translators in Nigeria is more theoretical than practical. The hypothesis states that trained translators in Nigeria rarely practice professional translation. In addition, most Nigerian translators cannot use specialized translation software, because most teachers of translation are specialist in other areas of languages not translation specialists. Investigation is done using a semi structured questionnaire. This instrument was distributed to 150 linguists; specialists in Nigerian and foreign languages. Questionnaires were distributed electronically using the snowball method. The data were processed with the descriptive method. Data presentation is in the tabular format. Our findings show that translation training in Nigeria is concentrated at the postgraduate levels of education; most Nigerian institutions do not include electronic translation in their curriculum. It concludes that translation training in Nigerian institutions is more theoretical than practical.