Interpreting Studies
«Interpreting encompasses topics that are relevant to our society, such as mutual understanding within migration contexts or the global spread of English as a lingua franca – but also considers, for instance, how consciousness comes into play.»
Prof. Michaela Albl-Mikasa, Professor of Interpreting Studies
Interpreting Studies is an interdisciplinary area of research in applied linguistics which comprises both the theory and professional practice of interpreter-aided multilingual communication. Research and activities in Interpreting Studies at the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (IUED) span teaching, professional practice and research in both interpreting sub-disciplines: conference interpreting and public service interpreting.
Research
Research in Interpreting Studies at the ZHAW focuses on
- applying psycholinguistic text processing and bilingualism research to the description and analysis of interpreting processes
- conducting empirical research into the acquisition and cultivation of interpreting skills
- investigating the effects of the global spread of English as a lingua franca (ELF) on interpreting both as an activity shaped by situated cognition and as a profession
- developing profiles and requirement criteria for interpreters working in courts, with the communal authorities and in hospitals
- drawing upon research results to develop a didactic concept for interpreter training.
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Indo-Swiss Translation and Interpreting Professionalization (ISTIP)
India and Switzerland share as an inherent characteristic their widely practiced and officially recognized multilingualism. In the management of multilingualism, English (as a second language) has played a much more prominent role in India than translation and interpreting (T&I), whereas, in Switzerland, English (as a lingua franca or ELF) has been ...
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CLINT
English has become the first truly global lingua franca. Even in multilingual Switzerland, English as a lingua franca (ELF) is replacing the four Swiss languages not only in international but also in intra-national communication. What appears at first glance to be a practical solution to communication problems in business, science and education can ...
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Proposal and Implementation of a Swiss Centre for Barrier-Free Communication
Currently, research is required to standardise the approaches used and to ensure the provision of a high-quality service that meets the needs of users in respect of barrier-free communication. The planned national «Barrier-free Communication» competence centre aims to address these research gaps. Thanks to the collaboration with service providers, ...
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Writing Interpreting in (Chinese) TNE Environments
Within education, the 2000’s have been synonymous with the growth of Transnational Education (TNE), which is typically associated with the exporting of English medium instruction (EMI) education and educational models. TNE can be identified as one element of the internationalization of education To date, there has been very little research on the ...
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JUSTISIGNS - Legal interpreting and sign language
Directive 2010/64/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 October 2010 establishes common minimum rules for European Union (EU) countries on the right to interpretation and translation in criminal proceedings. As a main partner in the EU’s JUSTISIGNS research project (Legal interpreting and sign language. Equal access to courts and ...
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Joint Translation and Interpreting Development Effort inThailand and the ASEAN Region (TIDE)
Demand for translation and interpreting services in the ASEAN countries is rising rapidly. Meanwhile, there are too few translators and interpreters, translation and interpreting quality is insufficient and training opportunities are inadequate. Headed up by the Thai President of the Association of Asian Translation Industry (AATI), a task force ...
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Interpreting in Medical Settings: Roles, Requirements and Responsibility
This project aimed to produce a differentiated depiction of medical interpreting activities based on the implementation and analysis of a written questionnaire on the expectations of the professional profile, practical interpreting activities and, in particular, interpreter role behaviour from various perspectives (physicians, nurses and ...
Teaching
Our teaching takes its cue from research. The BA in Applied Languages, the MA in Applied Linguistics (Specialisation in Conference Interpreting) and Bachelor's and Master's theses all feature research topics in the area of Interpreting Studies. In addition, we collaborate with the University of Applied Sciences of Special Needs Education (HfH) in their degree course in Sign Language Interpreting. Lessons and modules comprise lectures, seminars and courses in the following areas in particular:
- Introduction to interpreting theory and professional practice
- Current topics in Interpreting Studies
- Translation theories
- Multilingual contexts – English as a lingua franca
- Scientific theory: the cognitive constructivism research paradigm
- Bilingualism and translation.
A special feature of the programme is the Applied Linguistics project module. In this, an event (open to the public) is simulated which involves all three Master's specialisations (Conference Interpreting, Professional Translation and Organisational Communication). After the event, students reflect on their experience in a scientifically grounded manner.
Modules vary from semester to semester and are published in a course directory.
Specialisation in Conference Interpreting
The practice-oriented MA interpreting programme offers courses covering the entire spectrum of skills required for conference interpreting: consecutive and simultaneous interpreting, note-taking, memory training, voice coaching, conference terminology, conference simulation, vocational studies, etc.
Continuing education
We offer a preparatory training course called the "Dolmetsch-Propädeutikum" designed to prepare students for the practical parts of the entrance examinations for the Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics with a Specialisation in Conference Interpreting. The course teaches basic interpreting techniques and methods, as well as background knowledge, a crucial prerequisite to interpreting.
Upon request, we offer interpreting classes to certified conference interpreters with work experience wishing to add a language combination to their repertoire. For further information, please do not hesitate to contact the Head of the Specialisation.
Services
Our continuing education programmes, collaboration partnerships and research have provided us with extensive expertise in community interpreting, forming the basis for our services and consultations. Our expertise stems from:
- a continuing education programme in public service, court and hospital interpreting initiated by Gertrud Hofer, who was Head of the programme for ten years
- our long-standing collaboration with the High Court (Obergericht) of the Canton of Zurich developing court interpreting qualifications
- project analyses conducted in cooperation with Swiss hospitals for the continuing education and training of hospital interpreters and medical staff.
Publications
Our research results are published on a regular basis in scientific articles in books and (peer-reviewed) academic journals.
