Several years ago, I heard ask this question. Well, actually, she asked whether interpreter training programs are producing artisans or virtuosos.
Her query was based on a couple of ideas. First, many of us who train interpreters might describe our work this way: we are trying to find ways to help students travel the pathway from novice to expert in the shortest time possible. Nobel laureate once said that it takes 10 years for someone to become an expert in their field. But what if it were possible to reduce this time? What if, for example, we could produce expert interpreters in the two-year duration of most interpreter training programs?
Second, most of us agree that it is better to produce new professionals who can innovate, rather than just perform things by rote. We want experts who know how to adapt to new and challenging work conditions (the virtuosos), rather than experts who have learned a set of routines (the artisans), no matter how complex or sophisticated those routines may be. The interpreting world has been wracked by changes — remote interpreting and the shrinking role of institutional employers to name but two (for more on these topics, have a look at I wrote). We therefore want a new generation that can scan the changing horizon, find new opportunities, and come out on top.
Regular readers, I know what you are thinking: “Andrew, you have written about before.” You are right, of course. But there is a lot to be said about the topic, so it bears delving into a little further.
I was inspired to do so this week after reading John Bransford’s 2004 article, “Thoughts on . I found myself reflecting on how I train adaptive experts in the classroom, and on how you can foster adaptive expertise in your own out-of-class practice.
1. Set a goal right now to become a virtuoso
Research seems to be showing us that you don’t become a routine expert first, and then learn to adapt later on. Instead, it’s important to give yourself ample opportunity to be innovative from the get-go. In our field, becoming a good interpreter isn’t a destination. It’s a process. We don’t wake up one day to suddenly find we are skilled at what we do. Instead, we have to commit to being lifelong learners.
At the MCI, we encourage you to think outside the box, right from the very beginning. You take classes online in Year One and on-site in Year Two. You train both with classmates who speak your language and with classmates who don’t. And you have to take charge of your own learning — when you interpret live events on campus, for example, we ask you to organize for the meeting the way a real consultant interpreter and chef d’équipe would.
To apply this same principle to your own self-directed training, find ways to innovate. Your role is to be, first and foremost, a thinker and problem solver. Realize that you are here to learn and that growth
and change will follow you throughout your career. Your profession will not remain static, and neither will you.
2. Keep it random
By definition, an adaptive expert is someone who knows how to handle the unexpected. As a future virtuoso, you need to react positively in new situations and remain intellectually agile.
That’s why I try to keep my classes fast-paced and full of random elements. This week, during consecutive practice, I gave a speech and had the students take notes. But before they could interpret, I had them pass their notes to the right. In that way, every student had to interpret with someone else’s set of notes. There was a lot of groaning at first. But when we debriefed afterwards, students were surprised to realize that they could recall both what I said while speaking and what they actually wrote down in their own notes, even though they didn’t have them to look at.
Keep your own practice random. Change practice partners. Work with different kinds of speeches. Give yourself new challenges and surprises. Make change and adaptation a regular part of your practice.
3. Give yourself time to reflect
Part of becoming an adaptive expert is learning about your own learning. Take time to think about and describe your own development as an interpreter. The more you engage in metacognition, the smoother your learning will be.
As a teacher — and as an interpreter — I certainly find it easy to fill up air time in the classroom. But I make an effort (my students can tell me whether I am successful or not!) to keep my input to a minimum. Instead, most activities in my class are designed so students have space to discuss strategies, provide feedback, and make sense of their own learning. By giving them the responsibility for mapping out their own experiences, I put them in the driver’s seat.
In your own practice, make sure you build in time to reflect. Assess your performance. Describe strategies you use to interpret. Think out loud about new and novel ways of approaching the work you do.
These ideas are merely the tip of the iceberg. There is a lot more that can be said about both routine and adaptive expertise, particularly as they impact interpreting. No doubt I will return to this topic in the future.
But in the meantime, set yourself on the path to becoming a virtuoso.