Teaching sight and bilateral interpreting online

Abstract

This study attempted to understand students’ perceptions of the feedback provided by teachers of the sight and bilateral interpreting course online. Using a student-centered perspective, we administered a questionnaire-based survey to 95 undergraduate students. We investigated issues related to the effectiveness of online feedback at the cognitive level (understanding and using the feedback) and psychological level (affective reactions), including challenges associated with the delivery method or the nature of feedback and students’ expectations. Research findings indicated that students have different preferences, needs, and emotional reactions to online feedback. The study recommends teaching remote interpreting to keep pace with the technological requirements and consider the different variables affecting the feedback process. Based on the literature, we proposed a model to develop students’ capacity to understand and act on teacher’s feedback in the interpreting classroom and bridge the gap between teachers’ beliefs and students’ expectations about ‘good feedback.’ The best lesson learned from this study is that online teaching and feedback are valuable and satisfy the emotional needs of some students. Therefore, we suggest using a blended model for interpreting teaching and feedback methods in the near future.