Introducing a Survey-Based Taxonomy for Interpreting Types and Modes for an Interpreter Training Curriculum

There is no clear-cut, universal consensus on the nomenclature and essence of interpreting types and sub-types, modes, settings and modalities, and the sequence of presentation of modes in the curriculum because different authors and practitioners in the field view these concepts and their hierarchy from various angles and vistas. The uppermost objective of this study was to taxonomize interpreting types and modes to befit a standardized curriculum in the Iranian academia in the light of a qualitative research conducted within the ethnography of the Islamic Azad University South Tehran Branch. To this end, 243 books, 126 articles, 36 websites, 19 clips and 12 podcasts were qualitatively scrutinized as the source materials for content analysis. Moreover, 15 interpreters, 18 interpreter trainers, 32 M.A. and 86 B.A. English Translation Studies students participated by filling out a 5-item researchers-designed open-ended questionnaire. Based on the findings, the inventory of interpreting types and modes were taxonomized and the order of modes was sequenced to be used in an interpreter training discipline in Iranian higher education.