Mock Conference’s Impact on Internalizing Translating and Interpreting Learners’ Motivation

Abstract

The internalization of motivation in second/foreign language (L2) learning and the use of mock conferences (MCs) to prepare Translating and Interpreting learners for future professional careers have been widely researched by scholars, but whether mock conference can facilitate the internalization of T&I learners’ motivation are under-researched. Based on Self Determination Theory (SDT), this thesis investigates the effectiveness of MC in facilitating internalization of motivation through an empirical study which involves a two-week long pedagogical experiment on two parallel classes of T&I learners taught by the same teacher in their first year of graduate study at Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation, Beijing Foreign Studies University. The research shows that compared with traditional teacher-centered teaching model, MCs can better facilitate internalization of T&I learners’ motivation. This article justifies the use of MCs as a situated approach in interpreting teaching and describes the design of MCs according to the psychological needs of Self Determination Theory (SDT). In addition, the paper offers suggestions for further improvement of mock conference’s design at postgraduate level.Key words: second/foreign language (L2) acquisition; mock conference; self-determination; internalization of motivation