Formación de intérpretes e investigación en interpretación en Chile: Desafíos y oportunidades para el desarrollo de los estudios de interpretación

This article presents an overview of the current situation of interpreter training and research in Chile, as well as the most relevant challenges and opportunities that this presents to the local development of Interpreting Studies. Interpreter training in Chile is taught mainly at the undergraduate level, in programs that cover foreign language acquisition in simultaneity with the development of interpreting skills. The linguistic combination in which most interpreters are trained is English-Spanish. Particularly, one of the main challenges for interpreter training in Chile is a greater focus on the needs of indigenous peoples and immigrants. Additionally, professional interpreters lack opportunities of professional or academic development, which hinders the development of a close-knit professional community. However, a few research lines are under development in very relevant areas, such as the history of interpreters in the colonial context and the psycholinguistic study of the interpreting process. There is an urgent need to strengthen this community by training new researchers and pushing forward interdisciplinary studies based on local needs of insight, knowledge and applications. All these gaps represent an excellent opportunity for the growth of Interpreting Studies in Chile.