Online informal learning community for interpreter training amid COVID-19: A pilot evaluation

Sudden shifts towards online education since the outbreak of Covid-19 propelled the unprepared changes in teaching and learning over the world. The impact of transferring Interpreter training from face-to-face instruction and practices to a fully online environment was viewed differently. Issues such as relatively inferior engagement in learning and dissatisfied performance in competence building were highlighted and compounded by the concern of academic burnout and learning stress caused by the abiding pandemic. To curb the unsatisfactory situation, alternative learning methods and innovative pedagogical approaches were advocated. The present study was a pioneering effort to integrate informal learning into remote interpreter training by developing and implementing an online informal learning communities for undergraduate interpreting trainees in a Chinese university. The researcher recruited 36 students (n = 36) from the institution as participants in the 1.5-year piloting project. The findings of the research revealed the impact of informal learning in supplementing formal education by engaging involved students. Student-centered learning supported by collaborative and experiential activities in an informal environment was well-received for its ability to galvanize student's engagement and academic achievements. The perceptions from participants revealed preference and expectation from students for expanded roles of trainers in interpreter training.