Abstract

ABSTRACT This work proposes reflections on possible meanings constructed in the circulation of discourses that refer to the meaning of the term ‘competence,’ present in official documents that regulate the performance of Tilsp (Tradutores e Intérpretes de Libras e Português [Translators and Interpreters of Libras and Portuguese]). We start from the assumption that the meanings of a word are not completely static, but shift depending on the concrete situation and the interlocutors who use it. As a methodology, excerpts from official documents that regulate Tilsp’s activities were analyzed. By surveying possible interlocutors brought into the documents, we were able to verify that the meaning of ‘competence’ slowly shifts as the documents are produced in their respective times. Firstly, the use of the term points to a hierarchy, later, this meaning undergoes another shift towards the construction and delimitation of Tilsp’s professional work field. Finally, ‘competence’ moves to the labor market in the relationship between supplier and customer.