Mapping interpreter training worldwide: A bibliometric study (1992–2021)

Drawing on data from the Web of Science Core Collection and employing bibliometric analysis, this paper visualizes and examines 1,210 international academic publications on interpreter training from 1992 to 2021. It traces the field’s development through key indicators such as publication volume, national distribution of authorship, research hotspots, and emerging trends. The findings reveal that: (1) scholarly output in this area has increased significantly; (2) the distribution of research is geographically uneven, with the majority of publications originating from the United States, Spain, and the United Kingdom. International collaboration remains limited, as evidenced by the relatively low number of co-authored papers across countries; (3) current research primarily concentrates on community interpreting, training models, and computer-assisted interpreter training; and (4) emerging trends highlight innovations in research paradigms, greater integration of theoretical perspectives, and the adoption of mixed research methods. The study offers insights for interpreter training in China, emphasizing the need to prioritize community interpreter education from an interdisciplinary perspective, adopt a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods in traditional research, and engage with cutting-edge developments in interpreter training within the context of human-machine interaction.