An Action Research On Applying Case Method Into Interpreting Ethics Training

As the demand for language service has increased exponentially in China,translation and interpreting(T&I)teaching practices have become independent from foreign language teaching practices,thus,growing into a sophisticated discipline.In the last decade,great progress has been achieved within the professional interpreting field in China,including achievements related to interpreter training,interpreter accreditation,codes of conduct,etc.However,ethics training for interpreters lags behind,as universities,organizations and accreditation authorities do not emphasize the importance of ethical practice training.Furthermore,"interpreting ethics" has not been studied in sufficient depth considering the developments in the professional sphere of translation.Interpreting ethics,a set of principles that aim to help interpreters develop their professional identity and values,are vital to the long-term development of this sector.Thus,this paper provides possible solutions that are based on case method related to ethics interpreting training.This paper is an action research.First,the author identifies the students' deficiencies in interpreting ethics before offering two case-study-based courses titled Code of Ethics and Practice for Interpreters and Fidelity.After each course,students were invited to fill in a questionnaire and a select few of them were invited to attend an interview.In the end,a test was conducted comparing the abilities of students that took the courses with students that had not.The findings showed that:1)there were minor differences when comparing the students' responses to simple(common sense)ethical questions,but marked differences when comparing their responses to complex(professional)questions;2)faced with ethical issues,the students that participated in the courses tended to make more well-thought-out and responsible decisions by considering the dynamic context,while the students that did not participate in the courses tended to base their decisions on the needs of the clients;and 3)a positive correlation exists between the ethical consciousness of the students and their having attended the aforementioned courses.The case method was used to study the benefits ethics training might have for student interpreters.The results indicate there are benefits in 1)adding more case studies to the interpreting education curriculum,2)calling on relevant stakeholders to pay more attention to interpreting ethics education,and 3)providing more information to opening a well-organized interpreting ethics course in the future.