Sociolinguistics and translators' communicative competence

Abstract This article discusses how translation students’ inadequate communicative competence in both the source and target languages is a major weakness in translation work. Using authentic examples of English‐Chinese translation errors in the translation of dialogues in fiction, the article shows how a lack of communicative competence contributes to inadequate translation. Despite her support of the well‐established notion that sociolinguistics be included in translation training, the author does not agree with the across‐the‐board adoption of sociolinguistic curriculum in translation courses. The article calls for a selective or a tailor‐made adoption of (micro)sociolinguistic theories and training, as immediately relevant to translation work in order to provide effective training for prospective translators.