Abstract Testing and assessment of interpreting has been gaining traction, as is evidencedbyagrowingnumberof relevantpublicationsoverthepastyears.However, much of the previous literature pertains to practice and research in the Europe and the United States. Little is known about recent developments of interpreting testing and assessment (ITA) in China, a country where interpreter training and professional certification have grown exponentially overthe past 15years.Inthisopeningchapter, we first aim to provide an overview of the practice of and research on ITA in China, describing two main drivers of testing and assessment, namely, interpreter training and education, and professional certification. We then provide a concise review of theoretical discussion and empirical research conducted by Chinese scholars and researchers. Such description provides an important background against which we briefly introduce major topics and issues examined in the remainder of the edited volume. We hope that the introduction in the first chapter would help readers better navigate through the book. 1 Testing and Assessment of Interpreting in China Over the past 15 years, interpreting testing and assessment (hereafter referred to as ITA)hasemergedasanimportantareaofresearchinwhicheducatorsandresearchers investigate substantive issues related to design, development and validation of tests, tasks, and scoring methods involved in assessment of both spoken- and signed language interpreting. The emergence of ITA is attested by an increasing number of scholarly publications on ITA-related topics. For example, there have been special issues published in mainstream translation and interpreting journals (Melby 2013; 1.1 Testing and Assessment Practice One of the earliest practices of systematic testing and assessment of interpreting in Chinacouldbetracedback to therecruitment ofChineselanguage interpreters forthe United Nations (UN). In 1979, the UN and the Chinese government co-established the landmark UN Training Program for Interpreters and Translators in Beijing (see Yao 2019). To select the best candidates for the program, the UN would send a panel of examiners for entrance and final examinations. According to Dawrant et al. (Forthcoming),25outof536applicantswereadmittedinthefirstyearoftheprogram through competitive national exams. It is in the 2000s that testing and assessment practice in China received a major boost. During this period, interpreter training and professional certification programs were created and expanded rapidly. In 2005, the Bachelor of Translators and Inter preters (BTI) program was established by the State Council Academic Degrees Committee, followed by the launch of the Master of Translators and Interpreters (MTI) program in 2007. The creation of the two new programs attracts an increasing number of educational institutions to enroll BTI and MTI students. As of April 2020, a total of 281 and 259 universities and colleges had launched the BTI and the MTI program respectively,1 enrolling tens of thousands of students each year. The extraordinary scale-up of the BTI and the MTI education creates a massive demand for educational testing and assessment. For instance, admission/aptitude testing is administeredtoselectthebestcandidates(e.g.,TangandLi2013;Xing2017);forma tive assessment (e.g., self- and peer assessment) is implemented to generate feedback to teaching and learning (Han 2018a;Li2018;Su2019b); summative assessment is conducted at the end of the program/course to gauge students’ achievement (Feng 2005).
