This article views the present and future course of translator (and interpreter) training poised on the cusp of a new millennium with an eye to the tensions that exist between the challenges of the translation marketplace on the one hand and, on the other hand, the demands of the political and administrative environments in which such training programs struggle to survive. As this article treats overriding policy concerns, the term ‘translator training’ is used throughout to include ‘interpreter’ and ‘terminologist’ training unless otherwise stated.