Exhibition Interpreters Assessment

Riding the tide of globalization, China has attracted many foreign companies with its rapid economic development and manufacturing capability. Those companies make every effort to purchase, manufacture or sell in China in order to reduce costs and maximize profits. As a result, trade fairs, with the advantage of clear focuses and large numbers of participants, are developing in dramatic fashion all over the world. Under these circumstances, exposition interpreters are in great demand. Translators are an essential element of international expositions. They bridge both the language and cultural barriers between companies of different nations. As a language service, exposition interpretation should first satisfy the clients'needs. But as a profession, good interpreting should have its own standards. This paper attempts to develop a possible balance and expose the differences between the two, in order to promote and develop norms for exposition interpretation services. First, historical theories and empirical studies on interpretation evaluation are introduced as they are used in the Western world and in China. Second, current achievements and problems in interpretation evaluation are described. Third, characteristics of exposition interpretation and the differences from other kinds of interpretation are elaborated. Last, parameters are brought out to assess the quality of exposition interpretation. In the second half of the paper, an experiment is carried out to find the expectations and evaluations of some interpreters and clients at a certain exposition. The results are analyzed and possible solutions are provided. Based on the experiment and previous contributions of others, the paper demonstrates that exposition interpretation should be customized in order to achieve better results.