New Orientations in Interpreting Studies and Interpreter Education

This book explores the most recent developments in interpreting studies and interpreter education, revisiting the epistemology of interpreting and proposing a model based on the multiple dimensions of interpreting and its distinctive features. Binhua Wang proposes a multi-dimensional model revisiting the epistemology of interpreting studies and the distinctive features of interpreting, based on which three new research orientations are outlined. The first considers interpreting as immediate bilingual information processing, the second as meaning mediation in cross-lingual interpersonal communication and cross-sociocultural interaction, and the third looks at language-pair specificity in interpreting. The main research topics, concepts and methods are covered, and case studies and examples are provided. Wang also proposes a multi-composite framework of interpreter competence as the conceptual foundation of interpreter education in the AI era, for which three major shifts are identified as necessary, particularly the transition from interpreting skill training to interpreter competence development. The research orientations discussed in this book are important as they shed new light on the nature and mechanism of interpreting, open up new venues for interpreting studies, and provide meaningful responses to the new issues emerging from the changes in the interpreting profession with the new developments in AI-enhanced technologies. This is essential reading for all engaged in teaching, researching and studying interpreting and interpreting studies.