Interpreter Training and Students of Interpreting in China

Previous research in interpreter training has covered such areas as teaching methods, evaluation means, curriculum designs and interpreting competence. Researchers at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in China have been working together to look closely at students of interpreting, something which they consider of critical importance when striving to improve the efficiency of interpreter training. The present paper is mainly a summary of their research on undergraduate students of interpreting (the largest group of students of interpreting, about half a million in China). Major findings include: 1) L2 proficiency is the major individual difference that predicts how much these trainees (as unbalanced bilinguals) will gain from interpreter training; 2) Anxiety is a critical individual difference for interpreting performance, and interpreter training helps trainees enhance their interpreting competence probably by enhancing the coordination of their componential abilities; 3) Motivation, critical to interpreter training, is influenced by many other factors, and changes overtime during the first one or two years. Pedagogical implications and future research directions are discussed.