This book sheds new light on translation competence and its development. After reviewing recent theoretical and empirical perspectives the author presents the methodology and results of one of few comprehensive longitudinal combined processproduct studies of translation competence acquisition which has cognitive and pedagogical implications. Carried out among translation students with varying levels of foreign language proficiency before and after their first 7.5 months of translator education the study investigates translation product quality the strategicness of the translation process the strategicness of external resource use and translation principles. It also examines perceived translation difficulty and quality as well as the impact of directionality and foreign language proficiency.