Shaping our academic future

Abstract

Many countries around the world struggle to provide Deaf people with qualified interpreters. Those who are institutionalizing a solution for this often do so through Interpreter Education Programs (IEPs) and typically situate their philosophy within a skill based training- interpreting. We suggest this presents a myopic view of interpreting; a view that assumes language and interaction occur within a vacuum. Therefore, we believe a more useful paradigm under which to teach interpreting is a theoretical-based education- Interpreting Studies (IS). In order to do this, educators and students must be able to define Interpreting Studies and recognize the contribution of various disciplines that make up this field. Embedding these disciplines within IS requires grounding in each discipline's theoretical principles which is significant as the education of interpreters takes hold in academia.