Article Gold Open Access 2022

Career adaptability of interpreting students: A case study of its development and interactions with interpreter competences in three Chinese universities

Frontiers in Psychology
Journal · Vol. 13 · Art. 974417
Abstract

The issue of employability has already become a well-delineated topic of study among interpreting educators. However, the current literature still lacks descriptive research on interpreting students' employability development and ignores the developmental effects of interpreter competences in this process. Moreover, the advantage of using career adaptability for measurement is also under-researched. This exploratory case study aims at taking an initial step forward, surveying interpreting students' career adaptability development and the developmental effects of different interpreter competences on major adaptability resources, and ultimately diagnosing curriculum problems and making modifications accordingly. Thirty grade 2019 interpreting students from three Chinese universities contributed to data collection, through six questionnaires in a two-wave survey. The results highlight that, throughout the Chinese MTI program, interpreting students could become more concerned and well prepared for their future (concern), more curious to explore themselves and their surroundings (curiosity), and more capable of solving problems (confidence). The results also indicate that students' knowledge and language competence serve as the major facilitators in this process, and that other interpreter competences, such as psychological competence, transfer competence, professionalism, and cross-cultural competence, are also instrumental. In order to further boost their adaptability constructs, the results suggest that students' language and knowledge competence, professionalism, and cross-cultural and mental agility still need to be improved. Five suggestions for curriculum revision have been raised accordingly. As an initial effort, the current study will hopefully inspire further studies on interpreting students' career adaptability and add more knowledge to the curriculum design from this viewpoint. © © 2022 Tian, Zhang and Jia.

Keywords

Author Keywords

Career adaptability curriculum modification interpreter competences interpreting students MTI program

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations
School of Foreign Languages, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
School of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China
Funding & Acknowledgements
National Social Science Fund of China, NSSFC
This research was supported by the National Social Science Foundation of China (21CYY004).
National Office for Philosophy and Social Sciences, NPOPSS
Grant: 21CYY004
This research was supported by the National Social Science Foundation of China (21CYY004).
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