Digital pen technology in consecutive note-taking in the classroom and beyond

This study describes the use of innovative technology in the form of the LivescribeTM smartpen that combines the video recording of consecutive interpreting (CI) notes with synchronized sound input. We illustrate the validity of the smartpen as a didactic tool in CI, and illustrate how it can be used to assess CI note-taking technique through analy-sis of the note-taking process with a view to quality improvement. An experiment is described and some examples of the analysis are provided. Introducing and applying digital pen technology to interpreter trainees in the classroom has great potential in aiding the teaching of note-taking technique and in improving quality-related targets, though its full potential needs to be explored more extensively. Regarding the application of the smartpen in professional settings, interviews conducted with two professional practitioners reveal its utility in the hybrid simultaneous-consecutive mode rather than in traditional consecutive contexts.