Bridging the Talent Gap: A Food Industry Translator Training Program Based on University-Industry Cooperation

Abstract

This research fills the gap concerning the lack of translation experts in the food sector by creating and assessing a novel cooperative university-industry model of training guided by translation sociology and inters miotic theory. This model describes a comprehensive pedagogical scenario which includes cooperative curriculum design in food science, compliance documents, and cross-cultural promotion. Through collaboration between academic institutions and food industry enterprises, the curriculum was implemented. Mixed-methods evaluation using quantitative and qualitative performance metrics and stakeholder evaluation within three cohorts (total n=186) revealed substantial gains in accuracy of technical translation - in the post-training phase, participants made an average of 4.8 errors per 1000 words compared to a baseline of 23.4, alongside mastery of food terminology which rose to 91.7% post-training from a baseline of 43.2%, improvement in employment outcomes to a 96.8% placement rate compared to the industry average of 74.5%. The training model’s project-based approach supports interaction with a wide range of texts, including but not limited to technical documents and multicultural marketing essays, through active real-world-aligned multi-evaluator frameworks out of industry performance benchmarks. Results show revolutionary enhancement in graduate employability and accelerated professional competency development, reinforced industry-academia collaboration, with diminished gap between men and women across the field of technical translation. This establishes a replicable model geared towards specialized translator training deficiencies spanning multiple professions while promoting diverse representation in translation education.