Wei "Wade" Ding 丁瑋

An early AI adopter, Professor Ding has been incorporating AI-assisted interpretation into her curriculum since 2023. As an active practitioner, she field-tests speech recognition software (SRS) with every real-world assignment that comes her way. Through trial and error in various scenarios, she has gained a no-nonsense understanding of AI’s strengths and limitations. Her priority is training the next generation of human interpreters to be tech-savvy and accountable for natural, frustration-free communication. She is also expanding into court interpreting, a new area of focus she plans to bring to the classroom.

After graduating from MIIS in 2007, Professor Ding passed the conference-level interpretation exam for the State Department. A freelancer ever since, she has supported Cabinet-level summits, international organizations, and corporate leaders. She started teaching at the Institute in 2012, offering courses in consecutive and simultaneous interpretation, as well as sight translation between Chinese and English.

A versatile professional, Professor Ding has interpreted not only for the rich and famous but also for countless unsung heroes in challenging settings, including aboard container ships and cargo planes, inside police cars and prisons, and on construction sites, factories, housing projects, laboratories, and radiation screening facilities.

Professor Ding was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan, and resides in Carmel, California.