自2008年起，海峽兩岸同時吹起一波口譯比賽風潮，並一路延續至今。其中幾場更因聚集兩岸選手同台競技而引起媒體注意與廣泛報導，其受到一般社會大眾矚目的程度，似乎更甚於教育部經研究、籌劃數年才正式推出的中英文翻譯能力檢定考試。對口譯教育、培訓機構而言，除了關切自己的學生是否在這類比賽中有亮眼表現外，實應進一步探究舉辦口譯比賽的效益與影響。本文首先檢視海峽兩岸自2008年以來舉辦過的各種口譯比賽及其背景，然後以2010年第二屆海峽兩岸口譯大賽在台灣舉辦的初賽、決賽為例，透過問卷調查，進一步了解台灣區參賽者、評審對於此等口譯賽事的觀感，並將口譯比賽與口譯學校既有的專業考試、教育部中英文翻譯能力（口譯類）檢定考試做一初步比較，最後歸納整理出台灣代表（參賽學子和評審老師）眼中海峽兩岸口譯比賽可能創造的效益與影響。期望透過此一分析，口譯培訓機構不論是籌辦口譯比賽、鼓勵或挑選學生參賽，或是擔任口譯比賽的評審等，都能夠對於這類比賽有更務實的認知，如此一來，過程中所投注的資源方能發揮最大效益，一般觀賽的社會大眾也能因此對口譯有更正確的認識。
Since 2008, a number of interpreting contests have been organized on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Some of these competitions drew widespread media attention and garnered more interest from the general public than the Chinese and English Translation and Interpretation Competency Examinations, Taiwan's first certification examinations for translators and interpreters, held by Taiwan's Ministry of Education following years of rigorous research and planning. This paper first provides a brief overview of the interpreting contests organized over the past few years by institutions in Mainland China and Taiwan and their respective backgrounds. The focus is then shifted to the 2010 Cross-Strait Interpreting Competition, in particular the Taiwan-based elimination contest and the final contest, by tapping into questionnaire responses from Taiwanese participants, either as contestants or as judges. The paper also attempts to compare the interpreting competition with other forms of interpreting assessment, e.g., professional exams in T&I schools and the Chinese and English Translation and Interpretation Competency Examinations in Taiwan. It is hoped that new insights into the benefits and implications of interpreting competitions can be attained, facilitating better informed decisions on the part of training institutions as to whether to take part in or invest in such activities.