Interpreting - Volume 8, Issue 2, 2006

This article describes an experimental study on strategies of simultaneous interpreting used by 36 advanced students working in two directions: from English (B) into Polish (A) and the reverse. The material analysed comprises retrospective remarks provided by the subjects, prompted by listening to the source texts and their interpretations directly after the interpreting task. Twenty-one interpreting strategies were identified; a detailed classification and examples of relevant protocol fragments are presented. The results suggest that strategic processing differs considerably when interpreting into Polish (A) and into English (B), which can be attributed mainly to directionality but, in some cases, also to language-pair specificity. Some of the differences run counter to the initial hypotheses, and possible explanations for this are discussed.

This article presents a focus group study on the validation of the California Standards for Healthcare Interpreters produced by the California Healthcare Interpreting Association (CHIA) in 2002. The reactions of healthcare interpreters to the Standards, and their opinions and thoughts on its provisions are reviewed and analyzed. The article first addresses the issues and problems healthcare interpreters encounter when implementing the Standards, and highlights the challenges they face when trying to balance their professional mandate with the reality of their working environment. In particular, it describes the difficulties of defining the interpreter’s role in the system. The final section of the article draws attention to the need for bridges between research and practice as a means of guaranteeing that the field of interpreting will continue to develop.

Interpreter educators who strive to recruit and retain students with the potential to succeed in their post-secondary programs want to be able to identify the complex personal and cognitive characteristics typical of these students. The present investigation expanded upon previous studies of second-language students and working interpreters by focusing on the characteristics of sign language interpreting students who had transitioned from language learning into interpretation coursework. An instrument was designed to evaluate student and faculty perceptions of the academic habits and skills, information processing, and personality traits most important for success in interpretation courses and those that needed the most development. A sample of sign language interpreting students and faculty (N = 1,357) was recruited in Austria, Canada, Great Britain and the United States, and participants selected online or paper versions of the instrument. Results indicated that achievement might be affected by factors such as interaction in the native sign language community, interaction with instructors, and repetition of language courses for enhancement. The responses of students and faculty were compared for agreement on the characteristics most likely to motivate students to complete rigorous interpreting programs and for characteristics that must be developed to improve confidence and performance.