Research on Interpreter Training: A Review of Studies in the New Millennium

Abstract

The new millennium has witnessed a boom of interpreter training programs worldwide and the rapid development of the language services industry. A systematic investigation of interpreter training is therefore called for to reveal current trends and future directions. This study is based on a database of articles from ten translation and interpreting journals, constructed and developed by the authors. Several research methods were used to analyze the data including thematic analysis, publication counting and title analysis. A multi-classification scheme was used, as a result of a combination of top-down and bottom-up procedures. Three major themes emerged from the thematic analysis: teaching, learning and assessment. The study also presents the geographical features of research on interpreting training and the results of institution and author analysis. Findings of the study can shed light on what the major issues are in interpreter training, how interpreter training should be performed, and who the active figures are in this field. The database constructed is of value to trainers, trainees and researchers alike. Future research directions are also pointed out at the end of the study.