In addition to being a member of our country, we are members of the world community, and this gives us a global identity. Therefore, it is quite natural for us to think about world affairs and cooperate in solving the world’s problems. To do so, the first and most important tool is “language”, which is socially determined. Our beliefs and ideologies are always reflected in our way of talking, although the connections are hidden and only “critical language study” reveals these hidden connections in discourse.
Furthermore, we know that a nation’s culture flourishes by interacting with other cultures. Cultural variety opens our eyes to human rights, but cultural variety can only be recognized through discussions, which leads us back to the major tool for discussion: “language”.
The role of language in the developing world is materialized through “translating”, and since critical language study is concerned with the process of producing and interpreting texts and with the way these cognitive processes are socially shaped, it can be considered as an alternative approach to translation studies.
The world is becoming smaller and smaller as the systems of communication and information are developing and becoming more and more sophisticated. In the process of such a rapid exchange of information and for the purpose of improving cultural contacts, one thing is inevitable, and that is “translating”. This is why there is a need for competent translators and interpreters.
As mentioned earlier, the whole world is undergoing complex changes in different areas such as technology and education. These changes necessarily have an important bearing on systems of higher education, including translator training programs.
According to Shahvali (1997), theoretical knowledge and practical skills alone are not adequate to prepare students to face the development in the field. There is a need for ability to adapt; therefore, it is necessary to focus on students’ self-updating and to develop their relevant mental, communicative, and planning skills.
Training translators is an important task which should be given a high priority. The service that translators render to enhance cultures and nurture languages has been significant throughout history. Translators are the agents for transferring messages from one language to another, while preserving the underlying cultural and discoursal ideas and values (Azadaftary, 1996).
The translator’s task is to create conditions under which the source language author and the target language reader can interact with one another (Lotfipour, 1997). The translator uses the core meaning present in the source text to create a new whole, namely, the target text (Farahzad, 1998).