Becoming and being a translation and interpreting teacher in China: A sustainable role identity trajectory.

This study presents a Translation and Interpreting Teacher Role Identity (TITRI) trajectory, a sustainable career development model for T&I teachers. It employs a qualitative case study method to investigate the professional lives of three T&I teachers in China, mapping their role identity development across three stages using the Dynamic Systems Model of Role Identity (DSMRI). The findings highlight that the three case participants have experienced some major events, symbolizing a career path beginning as a T&I practitioner and culminating into a multifaceted role. The analysis emphasizes how major events define the TITRI trajectory, shaping T&I teachers' professional paths and highlighting the dynamic interplay between their personal experiences and professional development. The TITRI trajectory enhances our understanding of the professional role identity of T&I teachers. It adds to the existing literature on T&I teacher professional development by providing deeper insights into the mechanisms that help T&I teachers in cultivating their roles as trainers/educators, researchers and practitioners within the higher educational context.

Toward a framework for understanding translation and interpreting teacher role identity.

The purpose of this study was to present a translation and interpreting (T&I) teacher role identity (TITRI) framework for investigating how T&I teachers in China develop their role identities. There is a vast literature on language teacher identity in higher education compared to a paucity of literature on the development of T&I teacher identity. Developing a strong T&I teacher identity in the context of Chinese universities is challenging as teachers combine sub-roles of trainers/educators, researchers, and practitioners, and the context is more supportive of constructing a researcher role than trainer/educator and practitioner roles. A strong teacher identity, on the other hand, is vital since it enhances teachers' willingness to engage in professional development. This study proposes a framework based on the Dynamic Systems Model of Role Identity (DSMRI) that describes how three sub-roles interact and contribute to overall T&I teacher identity. This work contributes to the scant literature on T&I teacher identity research, shedding light on how different role identities may interact throughout the professional careers of a teacher. Additionally, the framework may also foster an awareness of the impact of higher education on a teacher and, as a result, offer implications for universities in China to encourage the development of teacher identity.