According to the author, translation can only attain the status of an autonomous discipline within the university if its identity is based on both Translation Studies and Translation Teaching. Hence, the ensuing problem becomes that of teacher training and the didactic content of translation. This article explores translation teaching from an historical perspective, reviewing a few precursors such as Gaspard de Tende (1660), Ferri de Saint﷓Constant (1811) who refers to authors of Antiquity, and Charles Rollin (1838). The author wonders why twentieth century teaching specialists seem to think that they began it all when in fact since the 1950's we are witnessing a rebirth (la Stylistique comparée du francais et de I'anglais published in 1958 was a symbolic landmark of this rebirth) rather than the birth of a trend. (Trans. by Paul Bandia)