An Investigation of the Skills Taught in Interpreter Training Courses in Bachelors of English Translating in Iranian Universities

تعداد120 صفحه در فایل word

Department of English Language and Literature

M.A. Thesis

An Investigation of the Skills Taught in Interpreter Training Courses in Bachelors of English Translating in

Iranian Universities

Abstract

This descriptive study aims to show whether interpreter training courses offered in bachelor’s degree of English translation in Iranian universities are adequate in teaching the necessary skills of interpreting and will attempt to give suggestions on how to improve the curriculum.  During the first part of this study, the basic necessary skills required for interpreters were investigated.  Semi-structured interviews with experts in the field of interpreting were carried out and also literature in the field was reviewed to find the skills used in the training of interpreters. Based on the gathered information, a questionnaire was prepared and given to 103 students of English Translating from six different universities.  The questionnaire contained 69 items with a four point Likert scale to find out how much the students felt they had learned each necessary skill and technique during their courses.  The gathered data were analysed using SPSS.  The results of the study showed that the majority of the students felt that they had not learned the basic techniques and skills required for interpreting.  The results also showed that there was a significant difference between the six universities in this study in term of the students’ responses to the items in the questionnaire.  Out of these universities, 67% received a mean score of less than half the highest possible score and the score of the remaining universities was more than half the highest possible score.  The results of this study can be used in the curriculum design of interpreter training courses offered to students of English Translation.   The results of this study could also be used in designing a curriculum for interpreting as a separate major in Iranian universities.

Keywords: Interpreting, Interpreter Training, Simultaneous Interpreting, Consecutive Interpreting, curriculum evaluation, syllabus design