Fred Wu: A conceptual model of interpreting examinations
School of Modern Languages Research Seminar Series
Location: Research Beehive
Time/Date: 31st March 2011, 16:00 - 17:00
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This presentation is to share a journey of exploration in finding out what happens when examiners assess student interpreters in the interpreting examinations.
A substantial amount of research work has been done on the quality assurance of conference interpreting, yielding useful guidelines for the selection and training of interpreters. However, the field of assessment in interpreter training within the educational context is still under-researched. Many interpreter trainers and researchers have pointed out some urgent issues to be addressed in the assessment of interpreting. Among them, the issues surrounding the test validity and reliability are most in need of clarification.
This study tackles this complex subject by firstly exploring what the examiners are really paying attention to when assessing student interpreters. It explores, discusses, and clarifies the intricate relations of various components and factors in the interpreting examinations. Based on the study findings, a conceptual model is proposed as a framework for describing the test constructs of the interpreting examinations.Published: 12th January 2011