Simulated Translation Bureaus
: Konttinen, Kalle; Salmi, Leena
: Walker, Callum; Lambert, Joseph
Publisher: Routledge
: 2025
: The Routledge Handbook of the Translation Industry
: Routledge Handbooks in Translation and Interpreting Studies
: 511
: 525
: 978-1-032-44679-0
: 978-1-003-38130-3
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003381303-37
: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003381303-37
Simulated translation bureaus (STBs) are a pedagogical approach designed to provide translation students with practical experience in a simulated business environment. This chapter explores best practices for implementing STBs, tracing their origins and theoretical foundations. STBs aim to enhance students’ employability by bridging the gap between academic programmes and the language industry. The approach emphasises self-directed learning and combines lectures, collaborative work, and reflection. While the primary focus is on developing students’ skills in translation, translation-related tasks, and project management, some STBs also address entrepreneurship and business operations. Debates surrounding STBs include balancing academic and vocational content, choosing the right mix of transmissionist and transformationist pedagogies, ensuring authenticity while avoiding excessive risk, finding suitable assessment methods, and addressing emotions. As employability becomes increasingly crucial in translator education, STBs will likely gain prominence.