Exploring the Underlying Forces in Interpreter Education in the United States

In interpreter education programs across the United States, future practitioners are shaped and molded by many factors during their education journey, some explicit and some implicit. Those factors can include the formal curriculum, faculty and staff diversity, and interactions with mentors and peers. The underlying forces or hidden curriculum that often goes unseen can impact a student’s educational journey positively or negatively. The impact can vary depending on certain demographic variables of the individual students. The data was analyzed using a system thinking framework and validated that there are underlying forces influencing interpreter student development. The following research briefly examined the frequency and impact of the hidden curriculum using a Likert scale survey for frequency, a ranking scale for impact, and volunteer interviews for student experience. Examining the data more deeply using the demographic variables of race, gender identity, and sexual orientation revealed various experiences depending on the students\u27 demographics. When reaching beneath the surface of the educational journey of interpreter students, this study confirms that the hidden curriculum is present and active. However, more research is necessary to understand better how to identify the hidden curriculum, specifically through student experiences and intersectionality