Translation Learners’ Needs Assessment in Writing and Translation: A Qualitative Study

Writing and translation are equally important in translator training, but current curricula and teaching materials are mostly developed without paying adequate attention to writing and the interface between these two common practices of text production. To develop better curricula and teaching materials, needs assessment of translation learners is essential. This study examined students’ writing and translation learning needs using interview data. The participants were translation students at a university in mainland China. Three batches of data, drawn from focus groups and in-depth interviews, were collected from 2021 to 2023. Using the Grounded-Theory approach, the study identified key themes in students’ learning needs using the qualitative analysis tool MAXQDA. This study will help translation trainers and researchers to obtain a deeper understanding of students’ writing and translation learning needs and thus develop more effective translator training.