Practicum: A Missing Link in the Translator Training at the Postgraduate Level in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper examined the critical role of internship in the translator training and profession. The work is premised on the fact that most translation graduates from Nigerian tertiary institutions shy away from practising translation or from picking up translation jobs due to lack of confidence and experience. For this work, data were collected from the brochures of some Nigerian universities that offer translation from M.A. to the Ph.D. levels. Data were also collected through WhatsApp and phone calls made to translation colleagues in the various Nigerian universities offering  translation at the higher level. Data collected revealed that apart from Abia State University, translation programmes in Nigerian universities fall short of internship, justifying this lack of confidence and experience. The paper also highlighted the likely challenges of internship in Nigeria and proposed that the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) which, in collaboration with National Universities Commission (NUC), manages the Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES), could be exploited to enable Translation students avail themselves of the internship opportunities offered by these parastatals.

Key words: internship, translator training, work experience, internship supervisor