In this article, the author makes a distinction between the quality-oriented assessment prevalent in translation and interpreting and the psychometric evaluation common in other disciplines. He suggests that the latter is a more appropriate approach for interpreter certification, an assessment situation where inferential decisions are made. He demonstrates how such research might be carried out in interpreting by validating both an existing conference interpreter certification test and a new test constructed according to measurement and evaluation principles.

This article examines interpreter assessment and draws attention to the limits of a lexico-semantic approach. It proposes using features of discourse theory to identify some of the competencies needed to interpret and suggests developing assessment instruments with the technical rigour common in other fields. The author gives examples of discursive features in interpretation and shows how these elements might be used to construct a rubric for assessing interpreter performance.

This article explores the conduit model so often promoted in community interpreting and its connection with ethical behaviour. The author begins by exploring the origin of the model and the pathways through which it came to be applied in community interpreting. He then considers the model against the backdrop of competing ethical approaches and questions why it continues to be promoted in the face of mounting evidence of its shortcomings. Finally, he presents new information derived from interviews with stakeholders in the healthcare sector. The author argues that this information indicates practitioners may be willing to work with interpreters who take on a wider role, and he concludes by underlining the need to recognize the complexity in the work interpreters do.

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