Pro Bono Student Interpreting: Professionalism and Ethics

There is a paradox in conference interpreter training (henceforth called CI training). Whilst claiming to be professionalising, it does not offer students many opportunities for practice in real situations. This is partly related to the nature of interpreting which does not easily tolerate errors or allow for their correction, but also to the “gatekeeping” function underpinning the profession’s understanding of the training programmes.