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.
