“The Ones That We Don’t Find” – Approaching Languages of Limited Diffusion in Interpreting. Entrance Assessment in the Light of Non-Professional Interpreting Practice
Keywords:
entrance assessment approach, interpreting training, reception and asylum context, Languages of Limited Diffusion (LLDs), non-professional interpretingAbstract
This paper proposes an assessment approach to support trainers in addressing language testing in interpreting training for speakers of languages of limited diffusion (LLDs). The proposed approach is informed by the theoretical underpinnings of entrance testing in interpreting studies (IS) but equally considers the contextual constraints of testing environments, in our case common challenges of interpreting in a reception context, including non-professional interpreting. These latter challenges were reported during interviews with reception support organisations as part of the EU-WEBPSI project, which aims to improve interpreting capacity in reception contexts for speakers of LLDs and turns away from the generalised practice of non-professional interpreting common in the field. Through transnational collaboration of academic, professional, and institutional stakeholders, the project developed a web platform for video-mediated interpreting (VMI), devised train-the-trainer learning modules, and recruited, tested, and trained LLD speakers for interpreting in the reception context. The approach we present forms part of these concerted efforts to address the lack of research-based LLD interpreting (training) and support its practice.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Maria Bernadette Zwischenberger, Laura González, Sonja Pöllabauer, Katrijn Maryns, July DeWilde, Eleonora Mazzanti, Louiza-Maxine Derveaux, Lieven Buysse, Aline Guaus, Diana Singureanu, Elena Davitti, Sabine Braun
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