| As the massification of higher education has increased the number of college graduates year by year,graduates are faced with increasing employment pressure.Postgraduate interpreting students are no exception.In this context,only by improving employability can students increase employment opportunities.Internship is seen as the most effective way,so students choose to engage in internships before the campus recruitment.However,studies have paid little attention to interpreting students' employability,internships and their correlations,failing to provide students with due employment guidance.By analysing interviews with interpreting students,this study aims to explore their employability and internship experiences,offer suggestions for students as to employability enhancement and internship-seeking and for teachers and institutions to upgrade the interpreter training curriculum.Three research questions were proposed:(1)What are interpreting students'internship experiences?(2)What has changed in students'perceptions of their employability after internships?(3)What are students' suggestions for future interpreting training?To answer these questions,the author interviewed 10 final-year postgraduate interpreting students at Xiamen University.Analysis of the semi-structured interviews was guided by a theoretical framework based on Psycho-Social Construct and CareerEDGE.Results show that(1)interpreting students look for internships for different reasons and via different channels,and the job descriptions and requirements are not restricted to interpreting;(2)students hold faith in their English competence and public speaking skills,but have vague career plans before internships,but afterwards,they believe that they have clearer plans and better generic skills;(3)to enhance employability,students hope that institutions and teachers can upgrade the curriculum and provide employment guidance,while students must improve interpreting skills and start career planning earlier. |
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