Corpora and Interpreter Training

The number and size of interpreting corpora have greatly increased over the past decades, thanks to the growing accessibility of authentic interpreting data and advances in the technology used to process spoken language data. Corpora, especially those consisting of authentic interpreting data, have seen more and more possible applications in interpreting classrooms. This chapter starts with an overview of available corpora and resources for interpreter training, and then proposes an expanded working definition of a corpus that can be applied in classroom contexts. The chapter illustrates the use of corpora in three main stages of interpreter training, covering 1) corpus resources that can help develop interpreting skills and relevant knowledge; 2) corpus-based tools that can facilitate (in particular online) interpreting practice; and 3) corpus-based assessment of interpreting performance. The chapter then proceeds to discuss pedagogy-oriented corpus development. It ends with a perspective on the future development and employment of corpus-based resources and tools for interpreting education at large, including training research students, training the trainers, and the sensitive area of client education.