In the present article, the ambiguities of the competence/skill distinction in translation theory are discussed in an attempt to define the knowledge and skill requirements of the translation task. Based on models of (L1 and L2) skill analysis, the author proposes a description of the translation task and considers its implications for designing a translation course for university students. The conclusions are also interpreted with regard to the experimental findings on language learners' translation processing and its underlying cognitive mechanisms, in particular interlanguage connections. Finally, this article looks at the disgn of the translation module of the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) course at Sofia University and solutions it offers to the problems discussed in the theoretical sections.