Beyond Equivalence: Reconceptualizing Interpreting Performance Assessment

There is a longstanding need for valid, reliable measurements of interpreting competence. Although rubrics and checklists are commonly used in both academic and employment settings, a review of available rubrics indicates that many do not focus on interpreting performance. Traditional metrics for sign language interpreting often conflate language proficiency with interpreting proficiency. Conflating fundamental aspects of language in use--vocabulary, grammar, and prosody-- with fundamental aspects of interpretation--content, intent, and monitoring--compromises the valid assessment of interpreting proficiency. Beyond Equivalence: Reconceptualizing Interpreting Performance Assessment argues for a shift toward more nuanced and evidence-based conceptualizations of interpreting, communication, and meaning to improve the creation and use of rubrics for assessment in interpreter education, certification, and professional development.

This inaugural volume in the Currents series introduces a rubric and accompanying scale, which can be used to assess both simultaneous and consecutive interpreting performance in terms of both process and product, in both signed and spoken language interpreting, and in a variety of settings. Beyond Equivalence offers an appreciation of the multivarious nature of meaning in the interpreting process and presents a new paradigm for the measurement of interpreting proficiency.