指擁有足夠的知識、技能或能力來有效完成某項任務或工作的狀態。
勝任能力
EN: the ability to do something well or effectively
翻譯: 能將某件事做好或有效完成的能力。
專業資格
EN: the legal authority or qualification to perform a specific task or job
翻譯: 執行特定任務或工作的法定權限或專業資格。
語言能力
EN: a person's ability in a particular language
翻譯: 一個人在特定語言上的掌握程度。
管轄權限
EN: the official power of a court or other body to deal with legal matters
翻譯: 法院或其他機構處理法律事務的官方權力。
小提醒：注意 'competence' 與 'competency' 在許多情境下可互換，但 'competency' 有時更側重於具體、可衡量的技能項目。
點擊下方的 US / UK 按鈕可播放發音。
Real-life Examples of "Competence" from YouTube Videos
Samantha Power: Shaking hands with the devil
TED
“And we as citizens, as we go through this experience of the kind of the crisis of confidence, crisis of competence, crisis of legitimacy, I think there's a temptation to pull back from the world and say, ah, Katrina, Iraq -- we don't know what we're doing.”
1. the ability to do something well or effectively
有效完成某事的能力；勝任的能力
Her technical competence in software development is highly valued by the team.
她在軟體開發方面的技術能力深受團隊重視。
The training program aims to improve the core competences of all employees.
該培訓計畫旨在提升所有員工的核心能力。
2. the legal authority of a court or other body to deal with a particular matter
法院或其他機構處理特定事務的法定權限
The dispute falls outside the competence of this local court.
這項爭議超出了這間地方法院的管轄權限。
The committee questioned whether they had the competence to make such a decision.
委員會質疑他們是否有權做出這樣的決定。
3. a specific area of skill or knowledge
特定的技能或知識領域
Digital literacy is now a key competence for most office jobs.
數位素養現在是大多數辦公室工作的關鍵能力。
The job description lists several required competences, including project management.
職位描述列出了幾項必要能力，包括專案管理。
4. the state of being adequately or well qualified; a sufficiency of means for the necessities of life
具備足夠資格；足以滿足生活所需的經濟能力
He has achieved a level of professional competence that ensures job security.
他已達到確保工作穩定的專業水準。
The inheritance provided her with a modest competence, allowing her to pursue her studies.
這筆遺產給了她一份微薄的經濟保障，使她能夠繼續深造。
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| competence in + noun | 在…方面的能力 | She demonstrated great competence in project management. (她在專案管理方面展現了卓越的能力。) |
| competence at + V-ing/noun | 在…上的能力 | His competence at solving complex problems is well known. (他解決複雜問題的能力是眾所周知的。) |
| competence to + V | 做…的能力 | The court questioned his competence to stand trial. (法庭質疑他接受審判的能力。) |
| a level of competence | 一定水準的能力 | The job requires a basic level of competence in computer skills. (這份工作要求具備電腦技能的基本能力。) |
| professional/technical competence | 專業／技術能力 | The engineer's technical competence is beyond doubt. (這位工程師的技術能力無庸置疑。) |
| demonstrate/show competence | 展現能力 | The new employee quickly showed competence in her role. (這位新員工很快就在她的職位上展現了能力。) |
| lack competence | 缺乏能力 | The report concluded that the manager lacked the necessary competence. (報告總結該經理缺乏必要的能力。) |
| beyond/within one's competence | 超出／在某人的能力範圍內 | Deciding on company policy is beyond my competence. (決定公司政策超出了我的能力範圍。) |
EN:The court questioned his legal competence to make decisions on behalf of the company.
翻譯:法院質疑他代表公司做決定的法律資格。
一般情況下，描述在特定領域的專業能力時，使用 competence in (doing)；在正式或法律語境中，表達有權或具備資格去做某件具體事情時，則使用 competence to do。
competence vs ability
「competence」強調具備完成某項任務或職位所需的足夠知識與技能，常與特定領域或標準相關；「ability」則泛指做某事的才能或本領，範圍較廣，可以是天生的或後天習得的。
competence vs capability
「competence」多指個人已具備、可被驗證的勝任力；「capability」則更側重個人、團隊或組織完成任務或達成目標的整體『潛在能力』或『容量』，範圍更廣。
competence vs proficiency
「competence」指達到基本要求、足以勝任的能力；「proficiency」則指更為熟練、精通的水平，通常高於基本門檻。
在對話中，當引述他人對某人能力的評價時，常會用到這個字。 EN: When I asked about her promotion, the manager just said, "It's all about her competence." 翻譯: 當我問起她升職的事，經理只說了一句：「這完全取決於她的能力。」
EN:You know what they always say in those meetings—"core competence this, core competence that."
翻譯:你知道他們在那些會議上總愛說——「核心能力這個，核心能力那個。」
在口語中，常與某些副詞或短語連用，以強調能力水平的高低或範圍。 EN: He handled the crisis with absolute competence. 翻譯: 他以絕對的專業能力處理了那場危機。
EN:I'm not questioning your basic competence, but this task requires more experience.
翻譯:我不是在質疑你的基本能力，但這項任務需要更多經驗。
在組織思緒或尋找合適詞彙時，有時會用此字作為短暫的停頓填充，帶有略微正式的語氣。 EN: The project requires... competence, of course, but also a lot of creativity. 翻譯: 這個專案需要……能力，這是當然的，但也需要大量的創造力。
EN:We're looking for someone with, you know, the right technical competence and soft skills.
翻譯:我們正在尋找一個具備，嗯，合適的技術能力和軟實力的人。
正式書寫注意：在正式報告或學術寫作中，應避免將「competence」用作填充詞。建議直接、明確地陳述所需能力，並使用更精確的術語（如「professional expertise」、「technical proficiency」）來替代口語中較模糊的用法，以提升文章的嚴謹性。
core competence
noun phrase
核心能力；關鍵競爭力
professional competence
noun phrase
專業能力；職業素養
linguistic competence
noun phrase
語言能力
demonstrate competence
verb + noun
展現能力；證明具備能力
level of competence
noun phrase
能力水準；熟練程度
within someone's competence
prepositional phrase
在某人的職權範圍內；屬於某人的能力所及
technical competence
noun phrase
技術能力；專業技能
question someone's competence
verb + possessive noun
質疑某人的能力
×He has a high competence in English.
✓He has a high level of competence in English.
In English, 'competence' is typically not modified directly by 'high' or 'low' as a countable noun. We usually say 'a high level of competence' or 'great competence'.
×I need to improve my competences for the new role.
✓I need to improve my competencies for the new role.
While 'competence' can be used as a mass noun for general ability, the plural form 'competencies' is more common when referring to specific, distinct skills or areas of capability.
×She has the competence of speaking three languages.
✓She has the competence to speak three languages. / She has competence in speaking three languages.
When specifying the area of competence, use 'competence to + verb' or 'competence in + noun/gerund'. Using 'of' is incorrect.
×His competence is enough for this task.
✓His competence is sufficient for this task.
While 'enough' is grammatically correct, it is less formal and less commonly paired with 'competence' in professional or academic contexts. 'Sufficient', 'adequate', or 'appropriate' are more typical collocations.
×Competence is very important for a teacher.
✓Professional competence is very important for a teacher.
Using 'competence' alone can be vague. In specific contexts, it's better to qualify it (e.g., professional competence, linguistic competence, technical competence) to clarify the type of ability being discussed.