In this chapter, I will present methodological guidelines with which to develop a specific language competence which caters to AVT translators’ needs. I will first give a short overview of the state of the art of language teaching in translation and interpreting programmes, which shows that there are some widely accepted general principles for this teaching context; however, there are not yet any specific guidelines for language development for AVT. In the next step, I will analyse competence descriptions of audiovisual translators while paying specific attention to the linguistic component. Based on these descriptions, I will present specific guidelines for the development of language competence for audiovisual translation, which include the development of specific receptive skills, of flexibility in language use, of ample knowledge of linguistic varieties and of learner autonomy. as well as some ideas for exercises that can be conducted inside and outside of the classroom.