Chapter 4. Free voluntary reading as a language and knowledge enhancement tool and its impact on interpreting students’ self-perceived B language fluency

Abstract

The present proposal argues that it is relevant to design, implement and test more practical strategies to help Interpreting students enhance their second active working language to meet market requirements. Within the framework of a dialogue interpreting B.A. course, a free voluntary reading (FVR) experiment was conducted, based on the extensive literature proving that self-selected reading contributes to improving second language acquisition. The aim was to explore its potential as a Language and Knowledge Enhancement tool in improving native Spanish Interpreting students’ self-perceived fluency in English, and to analyze whether introducing FVR transversally as a horizontal activity in different B.A. in TI courses can help students build more robust active core competences in this foreign language.