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Article published In:
APTIF 9 - Reality vs. Illusion: From Morse code to machine translation
Edited by Frans De Laet, In-kyoung Ahn and Joong-chol Kwak
[Babel 66:4/5] 2020
► pp. 655–673

Building disciplinary knowledge through multimodal presentation

A case study on China’s first interpreting Massive Online Open Course (MOOC)

| Guangdong University of Foreign Studies
| Guangdong University of Foreign Studies
| Guangdong University of Foreign Studies

Digital innovations are revolutionizing education, bringing opportunities that are seized across disciplines including conference interpreting training. This research draws a transdisciplinary framework of Legitimation Code Theory and multimodality research to explore how to build and transfer the disciplinary knowledge of interpreting via an on-line course, a staple of today’s education. The paper first conceptualizes the disciplinary knowledge of interpreting as elite code that entails both specialist knowledge of high semantic density and tacit experience of professionals of the trade. Then, drawing on empirical data from the first interpreting MOOC in China, the paper describes how knowledge of different semantic features is built through distinctive patterns of multimodal presentation. Effectiveness of the multimodal presentation of knowledge is then triangulated with learning outcome research. Findings of this paper highlight how multimodal presentation in on-line lectures support the process of learning and hence elicit reflective perspectives on knowledge building of interpreting in the on-line space.

Keywords: disciplinary knowledge of interpreting, MOOC, multimodal complementarity, Legitimation Code Theory
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Research framework
  • 3.Defining disciplinary knowledge of conference interpreting
    • 3.1Specialization: Conference interpreting as elite code
    • 3.2Semantics of conference interpreting training
  • 4.Case study
    • 4.1Consecutive Interpreting, an overview
    • 4.2Semantics and multimodality
    • 4.3Basic concepts
    • 4.4Cases of multimodal interaction
  • 5.Analysis of learning outcomes
    • 5.1Learners’ overall performance
    • 5.2Learning outcomes for note-taking skills
      • 5.2.1Learning concepts and theories
      • 5.2.2Applying skills to practice
  • 6.Discussion and conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 29 July 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/babel.00176.ouy
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Wang, Weiwei
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