AN ANALYSIS OF STUDENTS' ATTITUDES TOWARDS COMPUTER-ASSISTED TRANSLATION TOOLS

Students show an acquired and relatively durable disposition to evaluate computer technology in general, and Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) tools in particular, and to behave accordingly. However, some of these attitudinal patterns which have been detected in students can negatively interfere in their learning performance. Thus, developing a positive attitude towards using CAT tools in translation students constitutes a desirable objective for any university program in this field. The results of a survey research about the cognitive, affective and behavioural factors of this particular attitude in translation students from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain) are presented. The aim of this study is to analyse students' attitudinal components in detail, in order to detect those aspects which need more attention and to anticipate CAT-related learning difficulties. Finally, pathways of promoting a positive attitudinal change are introduced.