Spain : educating community interpreters and translators in unprecedented times : a Spanish case study

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on education programs, affecting both teacher and student experiences. This chapter focuses on the experience of a one-year community interpreting and translation postgraduate program, the Master’s in Intercultural Communication, Public Service Interpreting and Translation (Universidad de Alcalá). The chapter aims to (1) outline the changes in subject planning, design, and delivery mode in the program during the COVID-19 pandemic; and (2) explore any potential impact of the pandemic on the teaching process, student experience, and academic achievement. For this purpose, the chapter is based on qualitative and quantitative approach. Four data collection tools were used: a semi-structured interview with the program’s quality coordinator, an analysis of module guidelines, reports from academic coordinators, and a quantitative comparison of the academic achievement of two cohorts of students: students enrolled between October 2019–June 2020 and between October 2020–June 2021.