National Taiwan University
Graduate Program in Translation and Interpretation
Taipei, Taiwan
School Website
Is your training program Undergraduate or Postgraduate?
Postgraduate
What is the official title of the degree awarded?
Master of Arts
Is your programme part of an international educational network?
Is your programme sponsored financially or pedagogically?
No
Specify which institution(s) sponsor(s) your programme?
Is your postgraduate programme offered every year?
Yes
Are applicants required to have spent time abroad?
No
Must applicants take an aptitude test?
Yes
Is the aptitude test eliminatory?
Yes
Does the aptitude test comprise oral components?
Yes
Does the aptitude test comprise written components?
Yes
Is the test assessed by trainers who are also interpreters?
Yes
What percentage of students passed the aptitude test last year?
1%-25%
Is the Programme Director/Course Leader currently a professional conference interpreter?
Yes
What percentage of interpreting courses is taught by conference interpreters who are AIIC members
51%-75%
Has your staff been trained in how to teach interpreting?
Yes
Did you provide/fund any teacher training for your staff last year?
No
What percentage of your teaching staff has received teacher training?
51%-75%
Describe the type of teacher training provided.
PhD courses on pedagogy
Do students receive any information about the short and medium-term market potential for their language combination?
Yes
If yes, when?
generally during classes
How many SEMESTERS long is the training programme?
4
Is the curriculum posted online?
Yes
What is the curriculum's URL?
http://www.gpti.ntu.edu.tw/course/super_pages.php?ID=course1
Are courses offered in (long) consecutive?
Yes
Are courses offered in simultaneous?
Yes
How many hours does the curriculum spend on "Professional ethics and working conditions"?
54
How many hours does the curriculum spend on "Interpreting studies (research/theory)"?
54
How many hours does the curriculum spend on "Elocution, diction, voice training"?
3
Do you have a eliminatory mid-course assessment or exams?
Do you use a digital environment in the classroom?
Yes
Which digital tools do you use?
What material is used to interpret from?
audio video teacher gives speeches students prepare & give speeches invited speakers
Do your simultaneous booths comply with international standards, is ISO 2603 for built-in booths or ISO 4040 for mobile booths
No
What percentage of students pass?
What out-of-class interpreting opportunities do students have?
mock conferences real conferences dummy booths at real conferences
What was the average student-to-teacher ratio in your CI classes (interpreting classes only, not lectures)
Is there a maximum class size?
What is the maximum class size?
Are your postgraduate theses openly available to researchers?
Does the program benefit financially from assignments worked by their students?
Do students take their final exam before a panel of examiners/jury?
Yes
Does the jury include professional conference interpreters who also teach on the programme?
rarely
Does the jury include professional conference interpreters acting as external examiners?
Yes
Does the jury include teachers who are not professional conference interpreters?
never
Does the jury include other recruiters of conference interpreters?
rarely
Does the jury include representatives from international organisations and/or other recruiters of conference interpreters?
Are external jurors' comments taken into account when the jury evaluates candidate's performance?
Yes
If a candidate fails the final exams, which tests must be retaken?
only those tests which the candidate failed
How many times may a candidate retake the failed tests?
2
Does your degree/diploma list the language pairs/combinations awarded?
Must candidates pass both consecutive and simultaneous interpreting in all language pairs listed on their degree/diploma?
Does your pass mark correspond to a professional entry standard?
Does your degree/diploma include only "Conference Interpreting" in its title (excluding other subjects)
For the last academic year, how many candidates took their final exam?
4
For the last academic year, how many degrees/diplomas were awarded?
1
For the last academic year, how many degree/diplomas were awarded to candidates taking their final exams for the first time?
1
Do you follow up alumni?
How many students in total have graduated over the last 5 years?
3
How many of those graduates are currently working as conference interpreters?
1
Which language combination did your programme include during the last academic year?
AB
Enter EVERY source-target language pair that your programme offers ON A REGULAR BASIS.
Are any languages compulsory? if yes, which?
no
Does your school ALSO offer additional languages which are NOT part of the regular programme as defined here, but for which students may apply?
Are there any regulatory or practical constraints that prevent your from implementing AIIC best practices
The graduate program was established in 2012, and as a new program, we are still working on filling faculty positions and improving/upgrading equipment and facilities. In addition, a lot of systems/regulations are in the process of being established. Although it is a new program, the interpreting faculty have taught in other established interpreting programs in Taiwan, so they are very aware of the best practices an interpreting program should adopt. We are working towards meeting these criteria.
Do you have specific needs of trainer's training?
All kinds of courses are welcome, especially teaching retour into English.
What kind of support would you like to receive from AIIC Training?
National Taiwan University is the most prestigious higher education institute in Taiwan, but it only established its postgraduate T&I program in 2012. The program is not only in direct competition with other similar programs in Taiwan, but also with other academic units in the university. The program would benefit greatly if the university's higher management is aware and informed of AIIC's support. It would also benefit from AIIC's gentle reminder to the university that resources are necessary to bring the program's training environment (for example interpreting classroom and its technology) up to par with international standards.
If you feel that the phrasing or terminology used in some of the questions do not allow you to describe the circumtances at your school,
or you would like to include other relevant comments, please do not hesitate to provide additional information below:
The graduate program co-organises the Joint Professional Exam for Chinese/English Conference Interpreting with two other interpreting programs in northern Taiwan: the Graduate Institute of Translation and Interpretation of National Taiwan Normal University (i.e., "Shida"), and the Graduate Institute of Cross Cultural Studies of Fujen Catholic University (i.e., "Fuda"). Although the professional exam is not a compulsory component of receiving their MA diplomas, it has gained recognition among professional conference interpreters in Taiwan. Students who failed to pass all four subjects (bidirectional CI and SI) in their first attempt have the option to retake the subjects they failed a year later, but are required to retake all four subjects if they do not pass the test in their second trial, which is also the allowed last attempt.