Consecutive Interpreting Class on International Affairs during the Pandemic: A Discussion of Theme-based Instruction and Communicative Language Teaching from Onsite to Online - Eileen Hung-Hsiu Lin
Social distancing, advised during the pandemic, has affected education. In response, schools embraced hybrid teaching and distance teaching so that students could continue to exercise their rights to education. However, virtual learning also poses challenges to communication-intensive language classes, such as digital divide and unstable internet connection quality. This study incorporates themebased instruction (TI) and Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) to examine undergraduate students’ interpreting skills and accumulation of knowledge in a consecutive interpreting class on international affairs issues, or CIIAI, in the spring semester of 2021. CIIAI spring 2021 focused on migrant workers in four areas, including international organizations, religion, international mobility and Taiwan’s Southeast Asian migrant workers, and it concluded with a forum. TI and CLT were applied in hopes of improving students’ speaking and interpreting abilities as well as establishing a systematic knowledge framework for students.
The study showed that TI and CLT enhance students’ interpreting and speaking skills. An interpretation rating scale also gave students an objective angle to conduct peer evaluation and in turn enhanced students’ interpreting performance. In the forum of the final week, students demonstrated the theme-based knowledge acquired weekly. This new knowledge base contributed to a refined interpreting performance. A qualitative survey of the study showed online class was inconvenient when first implemented but in time, its enclosed environment seemed to motivate students in interpreting and provide them with a unique public speaking experience. Due to the pandemic, CIIAI spring 2021 moved its class venue from onsite to online. Nevertheless, it has met the course targets, providing a thematic and systematic knowledge base in international affairs and it may serve as a reference for future undergraduate interpreting classes.
