Learning on the Job: A Professional and Ethical Profile of Washington State Interpreters
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Title
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Learning on the Job: A Professional and Ethical Profile of Washington State Interpreters
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Creator
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Emily J. Sielen
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Project Type
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Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies
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Date
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12/1/2023
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Abstract
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Spoken language community interpreters in Washington State represent a diverse occupational group, and yet, little is known about their educational and training background as a whole. National trends to advance the standing of the profession through increased foundational training and certification have an attenuated impact for Washington’s occupational group due to the legislative landscape in which these professionals operate. This study sought to examine the professional and ethical decision-making skills of interpreters through a mixed-methods design: foundational (bedrock) decision-making schemas as measured by the Defining Issues Test (DIT; n=6), and decision making within the context of the interpreted encounter (intermediate concepts and surface-level concepts) with think-aloud interviews using interpreting vignettes (n=5). This information was analyzed in the greater occupational context, as described by responses to the Professional Profile and Demographics survey (n=115), to provide targeted recommendations for continued training in professional decision-making and ethics, particularly for those interpreters who fall into the profile of a “self-trained interpreter.” The DIT results showed that some self-trained and minimally trained interpreters develop advanced moral reasoning skills, while others do not. Interpreter interviews demonstrated that interpreters of all training backgrounds apply interpreting values to the context of interpreting, while also using normative messaging to describe their role.
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Committee Member
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Amanda Smith
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Kathleen Connolly
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Jennifer Flamboe
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Language
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eng
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Type
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Thesis
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Text
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Images; StillImages
