Application And Effects Of Computer-assisted Interpreter Self-training:

Computer-assisted interpreter training(CAIT)refers to using computer-based technology to assist and facilitate interpreter training practice.There have been studies on the theory,application,and design of these CAIT tools;however,few have focused on its potential for interpreter’s self-training.With greater demand for autonomous training,if computer-assisted self-training environment is proved effective and easy to use,it will diversify the current interpreting training and learning approaches.This study aims to investigate whether the computer-assisted self-training is more effective than regular practice pattern.It adopted a quasi-experimental approach,using quantitative and qualitative analysis methods.Participants with similar interpreting proficiency were assigned to two groups.The experimental group was exposed to a self-training environment with computer assistance while the control group in the traditional environment.After four self-training sessions,all of them conducted a post-test,and their performances were transcribed,analyzed and compared with the indexes of accuracy and delivery quality.Two hypotheses were formulated before the study:(1)the experimental group will have higher accuracy score than the control group;(2)the experimental group will have less delivery defects than the control group.The scores were analyzed with Student’s t-distribution to demonstrate the existence of significant differences between the two groups.The p-values for the two indexes between the two groups were 0.929(>0.05)and 0.868(>0.05),showing no significant inter-group differences in both dimensions.The results did not provide a solid support for the two hypotheses.Comparing with the results and conclusions of previous relevant studies and reviewing the actual use and the feedback from the experimental group of this study,the author explained and discussed the results and their implications.For future researchers,several suggestions and different possible angles into this subject were proposed.