Abstract. The purpose of the study is to consider the possibilities of translation competitions for students, to note the important aspects from the standpoint of anthropocentrism, to conditionally "measure" the development of motivation to obtain high-quality professional education as a translator. The main research methods are comparison, generalization, surveys. The relevance of the study is that from the standpoint of developing and supporting motivation to participate in student translation competitions, the experience of holding translation competitions is summarized, examples of competitions in our country and abroad with their brief characteristics are given. Based on the idea of ​​the main characteristics of the anthropocentric model of pedagogy by goals, principles, criteria, content, means and methods, student motivation to participate in competitions is positioned. The article describes the experience of selecting materials for translation, ways of assessing the quality of translation, translation expertise based on the ideas of erratology - the theory of errors and translation inconsistencies. Traditionally, the criteria allow for an objective assessment of the work of participants with a balance between the accuracy of the original text and a creative approach. The need to prepare students for the competition in the direction of translation didactics is noted. The results of the survey of respondents demonstrate an increase in students' motivation to participate in competitions. The presented materials demonstrate the prospects of research and accumulated experience in conducting translation competitions.