Didactic and assessment materials for court interpreting training: action research

Abstract

Observation of problems in a court interpreting course during the 2017-18 academic year led to action research. Focus groups and questionnaires were carried out to collect trainees’ opinions and a literature review was conducted. Then, in 2018-19, didactic and assessment materials were designed, based partly on the observation of interpreters’ performances in real trials. These materials were piloted and fine-tuned for two academic years: 2019-2021. Finally, focus groups and questionnaires were carried out again in 2022 and the results were compared with the ones obtained in 2017. The comparison suggests significant improvement in the trainees’ perception of their learning and assessment experiences. This means that the concerns detected in 2017 have been overcome.