Interview Questions

Five different sets of questions are designed for the purpose of collecting information about the aspects identified by active participants of conference interpreting activities. The five sets of questions are to investigate five aspects of the study: the definition set, the situation set, the

accreditation set, the design set and the impact set. There are in total of 45 questions. If categorizing by the interviewees, 13 questions in the instructor set; 11 in the interpreter set; 11 in the conference organizer set and 10 in the clients set. ( see Table 3.1)

Table 3.1 Interview Question Structure

What do they want from the other sectors in the industry?

How conference interpreters survive the market:

The problems they face in the job market and the help they need.

The Potential

The definition set includes one question that all participants must answer. The situation set includes 13 questions. Out of the 13 questions, 5 are directed at instructors from T & I schools, 2 are directed at interpreters, and 6 at conference organizers and clients. The accreditation set includes 2 questions. 1 of them is directed at both instructors from T & I schools and interpreters and the other requires answer from all participants. The design set includes Two questions; they are all directed at instructors from T & I schools, interpreters and conference organizers. The final set includes 4 questions. 3 of the questions require answers from all the participants and 1 is for conference organizers and clients.

Interview results will be compared in Chapter Five to determine how the answers given by the interviewees correspond to the literature. Second, these questions are designed to determine if the regulating mechanism reviewed in Chapter Two, that is accreditation, suits the need of the different sectors related to conference interpreting activities and facilitate the process of

professionalization of the conference interpreting profession. The following explanation will go into more details of the research issue behind the interview questions.

3.3.2.1 Definition

The definition set of interview questions asks all interviewees to give their definition on what good conference interpreters are. They are asked to define the basic skills required in the interpreting task and the traits perceived in good conference interpreters that are essential to them.

From the answers of the question, the study means to find out if there is any difference between the skills T & I schools deem necessary to students wishing to become conference interpreters; the conference interpreters’ view on their job; the considerations conference organizers have when employing conference interpreters; and the clients’ perception of good conference interpreting service.

3.3.2.2 Current Situation

The situation set asks instructors from five T & I schools, conference interpreters,

conference organizers and clients to state their current situation, expectations, and challenges. In the effort to improve the status quo in order to facilitate the professionalization process, a more

compressive understanding of the present is critical.

To this purpose the instructors from T & I schools will be asked to state their present condition, the goals of the school, the corresponding training designed to suit the purpose and what they need to fulfill their goals. It is also the purpose of this study to find out how the instructors view their function in the conference interpreting industry and the interpreting industry as a whole.

Do they see themselves as an effective quality control mechanism, a talent pool, or are they trying to build foundations for future research? The role T & I schools assign themselves will affect the training they provide and is related to how the conference industry will develop. For example, if the instructors only focus on training practitioners on the market, they will not put a lot of time and effort into the research field or try to strengthen the theory foundation and create a systematic knowledge base for conference interpreting industry. This may be detrimental to the profession in the long run. Finally, instructors from T & I schools are asked to express the opinions on how T & I

schools will be affected if an accreditation system is implemented and if an accreditation system can replace the role T & I schools play in the industry.

Conference interpreters will first be asked to state their present condition as to job opportunity and the problems they face on the job market. This includes how the conference interpreters feel as a professional and if they are satisfied with the status quo. As it is stated in literature, professionals should be able to determine problems and solutions required concerning interpreting tasks (Dingwall and Lewis, 1983: 5; Hughes, 1958). They should also be able to enjoy autonomy while conducting their jobs. From the answers of the conference interpreters, this study intends to find out how they feel they are treated as professionals and how much of a professional they see in themselves.

As for conference organizers and clients, they will be answering questions on the current situation and on what is important to them when employing conference interpreters. To the

conference organizers, they are the suppliers and the customers at the same time. It is in the interest of this study to understand what conference organizers face when hiring conference interpreters and later promoting them so as to convince the clients of the interpreters’ proficiency and importance.

The clients, either they employ conference interpreters through the help of conference organizers or on their own, they have to face the problem brought on by information asymmetry.

They are asked to identify when they need to employ conference interpreters and how they do so.

Furthermore, in the process of recruiting interpreters, what comes to their attention and convinces them to place their trust in the professionals is also the issues that the study means to clarify. After all, if inadequate conference interpreters fail to perform in a satisfactory manner, the clients would have to suffer the consequence of an unsuccessful international conference that are costly to host (Tseng, 2005). It is understandable that they would need a lot of reassurance and want to gather as much information as possible before they make the decision as to which conference interpreter to hire.

3.3.2.3 Accreditation

The accreditation set of the interview questions means to establish the necessity of an interpreter accreditation test. Since the professionals are to set up standards and design rules for the conference interpreting industry, the professionals must find a way to standardize certain aspects of the profession, such as create indicators so that T & I schools can use to evaluate the graduates who wish to enter the market as professional interpreters. Conference organizers and the clients can also use the indicators to select qualified practitioners when they need to employ interpreting services.

This study chooses the interpreter accreditation system for the reason that there has been a long history of discussion as to whether accreditation is necessary; the second incentive is that the government held the translation and interpretation proficiency test in December 2007. Although it is presently only designed to verify the interpreting proficiency of individuals rather then certifying or licensing practitioners, it is still a form of test that aims to verify quality. By examining the

responses of interviewees towards the proficiency test and figure out if it caters to the needs identified by the interest groups, it may give us an idea as to the possible benefits or disadvantages of a stricter regulating mechanism, such as certification or licensure, that can be installed in the future.

3.3.2.4 Test Design

The design set is to form a general idea of the possible design of a interpreter accreditation.

The aim of the questions in this part is to pinpoint a feasible interpreter accreditation system if there is indeed a need for one as addressed in the accreditation set. Different systems will have different limitations and restrictions or have different impacts on the profession and the society. It really all depends on what should be measured in the interpreter accreditation test. What the professionals mean to verify and what the clients need in a trust-building mechanism.

3.3.2.5 Potential Impact

The interview questions in impact set look for the potential impacts of the accreditation on

the interpreting industry as a whole. Furthermore, if an accreditation in deed gives the interpreter profession the upward mobility on the way to a full-fledged profession.

Accreditation is used as an entry barrier into privileged professions. However, that does not mean it is the only form of entry barrier that would function most effectively for all professions or that it can be installed at any stage of professionalization. Therefore, the study also aims not only to find out if the accreditation is a suitable mechanism but also if the timing is right. If the conference interpretation profession is not mature enough and has not yet formed consensus that is strong enough to standardize, then the system may not be valid and reliable. Another possibility is that, an accreditation is a positive force in the general professionalization process, but it is not what the present interpreter profession needs to improve their professional status and increase the upward mobility to become a full-fledged profession.

At the end of this question section, participants will be asked to give their opinions on the present accreditation test. This is to identify if the proficiency test achieved the purpose required to help promoting the development of interpreting professionals and how it impacts the other sectors in the industry.