This article is rooted in the author’s teaching experiences with two types of undergraduate groups, viz. intermediate level groups and trainee translators/interpreters. After a short comparison between the two types of training, the paper focuses on the experiences with the trainee translators/interpreters. The paper seeks to present pedagogical principles which are context-independent and could therefore be used as a basis for developing translation competence, regardless of source culture and of language of delivery of the translation class, also without reference to the language pair involved. In a final instance, to support and illustrate the text-dependent pedagogical principles described in this paper, the author offers examples of supplementary translation-related activities which are linked to interdependent aspects of developing translation competence in the training development.