ABSTRACT
Interpreter training in China has developed rapidly in the past dozen years with the launch of Bachelor of Translation and Interpreting (BTI) programmes in 2006 and Master of Translation and Interpreting (MTI) programmes in 2007. However, interpreting graduates so trained cannot really meet market requirements in terms of competencies. One way to improve the situation is to make use of distance interpreter training (DIT). However, DIT has received little practical or scholarly attention in China. Under such a backdrop, this study aims at investigating interpreting teachers’ use and perceptions of, and motivating and demotivating factors for, DIT with a mixed-methods approach, involving a questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews to present a comprehensive and objective picture. This study has both pedagogical and theoretical significance, serving as a reference for improving and reforming interpreter training in China and beyond and for further developing DIT. The study coincided with the outbreak and ongoing crisis of COVID-19, which makes remote teaching and learning mandatory all over the world. As such, it is hoped the findings will be of global relevance.
