Becoming an Interpreter: the Role of Computer Technology

In the mid-1990s, a few interpreter trainers began to realise that computer technology could be used to enhance classroom-based training and to support the students’ autonomous learning. CAIT stands for Computer Assisted Interpreter Training and over the years this basic idea has developed in different ways, ranging from electronic resources to be used off-line by individual users to online speech repositories, and more recently to virtual learning environments where multiple users can interact as if in class. The paper provides an overview of key developments in CAIT and outlines existing paradigms and approaches.