USER EXPECTATION SURVEYS: QUESTIONING FINDINGS AND DRAWING LESSONS FOR INTERPRETER TRAINING
Abstract
Interpreting literature, especially conference interpreting literature, often emphasizes that a better understanding of user expectations and real interpreting environments is vital for the profession. Within the studies conducted so far, user expectations have generally been studied with the questionnaire method. As questionnaires do not allow the respondents to express their own answers, most questionnaire results are obtained by the user selecting the best available choice amongst a number of alternatives predetermined by the researcher. This, in turn, renders the choices of the researcher most determinant. Furthermore, although the importance of understanding user expectations for the profession are often stressed, the way user expectations can be integrated to interpreting curricula remains undiscussed. This article focuses on the results of a user expectation survey conducted by the interview method rather than a questionnaire and explores ways the views and expectations of the user can be integrated into training curricula.
Keywords
References
- Bühler, H. (1986). Linguistic (semantic) and extra-linguistic (pragmatic) criteria for the evaluation of conference interpretation and interpreters. Multilingua 5, 231-235.
- Cattaruza, L. and Mack, G. (1995). User Surveys in SI: A Means of Learningabout Quality and/or Raising Some Reasonable Doubt. In J. Tommola (ed.), Topics in Interpreting Research (37-49). University of Turku: Center for Translation and Interpreting.
- Diriker, E. (2004). De-/Re-Contextualizing Conference Interpreting: Interpreters in the Ivory Tower?. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
- Gerver, D. (1972). Simultaneous and Consecutive Interpretation and Human Information Processing. London: Social Science Research Council.
- Gile, D. (1990). L’évaluation de la qualité de l’interprétation par les délégués: une étude de cas. The Interpreter’s Newsletter 3, 66-71.
- Holly, Mary Louise (1989). Writing to Grow. Keeping a personal-professional journal, Portsmouth, New Hampshire:
- Kurz, I. (1989). Conference interpreting: user expectations. In D. Hammond (ed.), Coming of Age. Proceedings of the 30th Annual Conference of the American Translators Association. Medford: Learned Information, 143-148.
- Kurz, I. (1993). Conference Interpretation: Expectations of Different User Groups. The Interpreters’ Newsletter. 5, 13-21.
Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
-
Journal Section
Research Article
Authors
Ebru Diriker
This is me
Publication Date
December 20, 2011
Submission Date
December 20, 2011
Acceptance Date
-
Published in Issue
Year 2011 Volume: 2 Number: 3