Willingness to Communicate, Foreign Language Anxiety and the Learning of Interpreting : A study of College Students in Hong Kong

This study investigates learners’ Willingness to Communicate (WTC) and Foreign Language Anxiety in a tertiary interpreter training program in Hong Kong. WTC and Foreign Language Anxiety have been recognized as important factors in the learning of foreign languages, however, they have not attracted due attention in the study of interpreter training. In the current study, a questionnaire has been developed and administrated to a group of 83 interpreting students in a university program in Hong Kong. The relationship between learners’ WTC and foreign language anxiety will be explored; their interplay with other factors in the learning of interpreting (e.g., family influence, language competence, language learning habits, perceived interpreting competence, interpreting learning habits, etc.) will be examined. Moreover, the impact of WTC and foreign language anxiety on learners’ interpreting achievement will be investigated. The study will unveil the role of WTC and foreign language anxiety in the interpreting classrooms. It will also help profile relevant interpreting competence and provide insights to the understanding of learning process in tertiary interpreter training programs.