In this paper, it is argued that the description of the factors which make up translation competence is a useful tool for the training of translators, in that such descriptions allow the outlining of both overall and specific objectives and learning outcomes for training programmes. After a brief survey of the main models existing in translation literature to date, the author offers her own model, in which she partially incorporates aspects of previous proposals, adds new factors not present in those, and traces a series of relations between the different aspects. In the final section of the paper, a proposal outlining overall objectives for undergraduate translator training programmes is developed from this model of translation competence. [Source: BITRA]