Digital technologies in the development of communicative competences among future specialists in the fields of philology and translation

Abstract

This article highlights the relevance of modern digital tools and services in the professional training of students specialising in language, intercultural and translation studies. The relevance of the research stems from the active implementation of corpus resources, digital learning environments, automated and machine translation systems, and generative artificial intelligence tools to help students develop the skills and competences required to carry out their professional activities effectively. The aim of the study is to determine the pedagogical potential of digital technologies and students' personal experiences of using them. To achieve this aim, the following methods were applied: analysis, comparison, systematisation, questionnaires, and statistical analysis of the results obtained. The empirical basis of the study consists of responses from 100 students of the Department of Foreign Philology and Translation at the O. M. Beketov Kharkiv National University of Municipal Economy during the 2025–2026 academic year. The questionnaire survey identified students' experience of using digital tools, their assessment of these tools' role in developing communicative competence, their educational needs, and the conditions required for the effective use of digital technologies. It was established that the effectiveness of digital tools is determined not by their quantity, but by the appropriateness and adequacy of their use during the search for and critical evaluation of information, interaction, mediation, the justification of translation decisions, and post-editing. The functional potential of digital learning platforms, CAT systems, machine translation tools and artificial intelligence has been identified. The scientific novelty lies in establishing, on the basis of empirical data, the impact of digital technologies on the development of communicative competence among future specialists in the fields of philology and translation. The practical significance lies in the possibility of utilising the findings during group sessions, when carrying out translation and communication tasks, and in the intercultural interaction of students.