Research on the Competencies of Liaison Interpreters in China

Against the rapid growth and professionalization of the interpreting market in China, liaison interpreting has become a routine yet under-researched service characterized by diverse settings, bidirectional turn-taking, close interpersonal interaction, and blurred boundaries between interpreting and other support tasks. Drawing on competence theory in human resource management, particularly Boyatzis’ performance-job-environment fit and the Onion Model operationalized by L. M. Spencer and S. M. Spencer, the study conducts a job analysis of liaison interpreting in terms of job scope, job goals, and job roles. Results indicate that liaison interpreter’s competencies are organized into five domains: traits, attitudes, social roles, general knowledge, and skills. The findings clarify the multidimensional nature of liaison interpreter competencies and offer practical guidance for interpreter self-development, MTI curriculum design, and competency-based recruitment, training, and performance management in interpreting service providers. It also provides behavioral descriptors to inform assessment rubrics.