Training conference interpreter trainers with technology – a virtual reality

The training of conference interpreter trainers is characterized by several pedagogical shifts. The use of socio-constructivism and portalware technology constitutes the latest shift in pedagogical paradigms. This paper provides a novel framework for quality assurance in the training of interpreter trainers by describing a multi-pronged approach to quality assessment with the ultimate objective of obtaining accreditation for an Advanced Masters Course for interpreter trainers. As such it covers the various parameters that have been adopted for accreditation in higher education, with special reference to interpreter training and the leveraging of new technologies. The article describes the curriculum, the learning environment and the pedagogy used in the Master of Advanced Studies for conference interpreter trainers at FTI and how these respond to quality assurance criteria within the six domains recommended by the Swiss Center of Accreditation and Quality Assurance in Higher Education