Enhancing the learning experience of interpreting students using Mock Conference as a situated learning activity

Training interpreters represents a challenge for educators because it is inherently a practical, skills-based course. Research on interpreting has already shown that when the trainees are actively involved in situated activities, learning takes place (Perez & Wilson, 2011). Though this can be achieved through the use of authentic materials in the classroom, the writer aims to take the situated learning experience further by organizing the Mock Conference activity. The purpose of this study is to observe and analyze the potential benefits of Mock Conference as a situated learning activity for students in a class of consecutive interpreting by guiding them to prepare for the interpreting session and confronting them with the simulated working environment. By taking the learning experience out of the conventional academic environment and into a professional setting, the researcher intends to use a mixed method approach in order to examine how students react to the experience and to what extent it contributes to focusing their study strategies and learning.