The course focuses strongly on the skill enhancement aspects of a mentor’s work. Students are introduced to the theory and practice of meaning-based approaches to promoting interpreter development. They explore two key theories in this area, the Goal–to-Detail approach, developed by Sandra Gish, and the use of discourse mapping as a mentee guidance resource, as presented by Winston and Monikowski. Students identify the essential elements in interpreting practices that convey the central meanings of the source texts. They then learn how to work with mentees on prioritizing that particular set of processing and production skills. They have an immediate opportunity to apply their insights though discussion and on-site/online mentoring activities.

In addition to their work on meaning-based strategies of mentee guidance, students continue their explorations in the development and use of portfolios, and enrich their experience of open peer discussion and collaborative and cooperative learning. Students emerge from the course equipped with a strong sense of their own philosophy, confidence in their practical skills as a mentor and a clearly defined fieldwork project that has benefited from several stages of refinement through peer collaboration and faculty review.

Pedagogy

This course is aptly defined as a practicum. Learning activities are keyed to experimentation and experience with the theoretical material presented on mentee guidance. Students will once again take on the roles of both mentor and mentee in different work sessions in order to give and get feedback from each other in terms of their own mentoring skills.

As in the other courses, students reflect objectively and in detail on samples of their own interpreting work and mentoring work, and compare the results with their privileged access to their own mental processing activities. Seeing work “from both sides” in this way, provides great insight into the usefulness of theoretical models. It becomes very clear why a mentor always to take account of a mentee’s explanations of his or her own work in deciding on activities for skill enhancement.

Another key element of the pedagogy is to require students to assess and provide feedback on a wide variety of samples, and to interact with a variety of others in both mentor and mentee roles.

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