Field Practice Of MTI Interpreting Students

As MTI aims to cultivate high-level, practical and professional translators and interpreters, it gives top priority to field practice. However, how to cultivate students with highly practical capability in interpreting is still in its infancy. Given that relevant surveys on student’s field practice are rarely conducted, this survey is dedicated to investigating the status quo of field practice among MTI interpreting students. The survey focuses on three questions: what is the status quo of field practice among MTI interpreting students;what achievements MTI schools have made and what problems occurred in promoting students to do more field practices as reflected on the survey; what suggestions can be put forward for its improvement? The survey aims to meet the following objectives : first, to present the finding results to MTI interpreting students so that they can be better prepared and gain more practice opportunities; second, to present the results to MTI schools so that they can arrange curriculum and practices in a better way.2 questionnaires have been designed and distributed via the Internet. One is for subjects majored in MTI interpreting who will graduate in 2015 from eight of ten universities which are in the first group of universities approved to set up MTI(interpreting), namely Beijing Foreign Studies University(BFSU), Guangdong University of Foreign Studies(GDUFS), Sun Yat-sen University(SYSU), Xiamen University(XMU), Nankai University(NKU), Tongji University, Central South University(CSU) and Hunan Normal University(HUNNU). Responses were elicited from 4 aspects, i.e. the general picture of MTI interpreting student’s field practice, students’ evaluation on certain aspects of field practices, students’ evaluation on the efficiency of different courses to field practices, and students’ suggestions for MTI schools to increase field practices for students. As a complement to the survey, the other questionnaire was distributed to members of Translators Association of China(TAC) so as to get the insight of translation agencies on MTI interpreting major. Responses were elicited from 4 aspects, i.e. the ratio of MTI interpreting students among their interpreters, qualities required when hiring MTI interpreting students, evaluation on the performance of MTI interpreting students in the market and suggestions to MTI interpreting students and MTI schools. Interviews with several students in each universities have also been conducted for more detailed information.Based on the analysis of the result, the following suggestions are put forward. For MTI interpreting students, they should diversify access to field practices and seize every opportunity to accumulate experience in interpreting; they should continue to enhance language competence and do translation; they need to focus on a specific area where they are good at or interested in so they can stand firmly in the market if they want to be a professional interpreter in the future; students are also supposed to obtain professional qualities in interpreting. For MTI schools, it should build more practice bases besides exhibitions by working with international organizations, government and enterprises, improve the efficiency of different modes of field practices such as on-site interpreting observations, and open more practical courses or seminars on general knowledge, language enhancement, extra interpreting skills and interpreting professionalism.