Author: Andra Simona-Diaconu
Journal: Journal of Applied Linguistics and Information Systems, January 2026, Issue 6, pp. 13–20
Key words: Instrumental Competence, Online Tools, EU Legal Translation
Abstract: Although language proficiency remains at the heart of all translator competence models, whether they are minimalist or comprehensive, online resources are now a necessity in the translator’s market and professionalization. Translation is subject to competence in terms of both process and product. CAT, editing and translation tools, online databases and dictionaries, and even artificial intelligence (AI) are examples of instrumental sub-competence, which has been positioned as mandatory in the translation process, moving away from the traditional image of the translator as a lone individual, defined by invisibility in their profession, situated on a desk and surrounded by books.
Translation is essentially about language command, but in the digital era, online tools serve as both a translator for the average person and a support for expert translators. This paper seeks to provide a broad overview of the role of online resources in shaping the EU legal translator’s competence, along with a focused approach to the current realignment of new technologies intended to streamline the translation process and replace the translator in a non-professional setting.