Digital pen technology and interpreter training, practice, and research: status and trends

This chapter aims at providing a snapshot of the status and trends in the use of digital pen technology in interpreting training, practice and research. The paper sums up and contextualizes data and analysis from various sources: responses from students/interpreter trainees about the general usability of the pen and their initial opinions on its features and its effects on note-taking analysis; empirical findings from outside the interpreting classroom with various instances of the use of this digital technology in the interpreting profession worldwide; and finally, results from a pilot study on the amenability of the digital pen in the hybrid mode of interpreting: Consec-simul with notes. The data presented and commented indicates that used in the classroom for note-taking activities, the digital tool helps trainees in the development and acquisition of an efficient note-taking system; it also shows that since its introduction in the interpreting field in 2010, the technology has been trialled and used in the profession both in the private sector and in institutions, and is seen as valuable assistance. The results of the pilot study on the hybrid mode of interpreting Consec-simul, which measured quality of performances with various indicators, confirm a higher level of performance in this mode and invite further research and implementation in training institutions.