Kako sladka so francoska vina – analiza napak študentov v prevodih besedil s področja vin in vinske kulture

Within undergraduate studies at the Department of Translation of the Faculty of Arts, one of the threads running through translation from French into Slovenian is the subject of wines and wine culture. Wines are an essential part of French culture and economy while also playing an important role in Slovenia, therefore translations of texts from the given thematic framework offer an insight into respective societies, cultures and economies, spurring on a reflection on the numerous similarities and differences at hand.Following the work of students from several generations (from 1999 till 2011) and analyzing their translations shows that in addition to the expected difficulties, which were part of the learning objectives of the course, there also appeared errors that according to expectations the students should not have made. The article presents the students’ difficulties and errors in translating the authentic text »Caractéristiques des vins d’Alsace« (Properties of Alsace Wines). Error analysis points towards a complex intertwining of language and semantic errors, which are partially a consequence of the students’ poor language and textual competence, but in particular display their insufficient subject and cultural competence