Dr Elsa Huertas Barros

Dr Elsa Huertas Barros


I am a Senior Lecturer in Translation Studies in the School of Humanities and BA Translation Course Leader. I completed a 4-year degree in Translation and Interpreting at the University of Granada, followed by a Masters in Advanced Studies in Translation and Interpreting. In June 2013, I was awarded a PhD in Translation, which focuses on the role of interpersonal competence in translator training. I also hold qualifications in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language and TEFL.

I started my academic career as a Visiting Lecturer in Translation in 2009. Since then I have worked in several universities, including the University of Westminster, Imperial College, UCL and Royal Holloway University of London.


My main research interests lie in the fields of translator training and languages, particularly translator competence, interpersonal competence, collaborative learning and student-centered teaching methodologies.

I am co-editor of The Interpreter and Translator Trainer (ITT).

I have collaborated with the PACTE research group in the NACT project (Establishing Competence Levels in the Acquisition of Translation Competence in Written Translation) and acted as an expert who evaluated the proposed level descriptors.

I am collaborating with PACTE in the EACT project (Translation competence acquisition evaluation) aiming to establish evaluation procedures for different levels in the acquisition of translation competence.

I am also a member of the project "Towards a European Framework of Reference for Translation" (EFFORT) aiming to develop competence descriptors for a common European framework of reference for use in translator training and professional translation.

Research publications 

For details of all my research outputs, visit my WestminsterResearch profile.