Effects of Directionality on Interpreting Performance: Evidence From Interpreting Between Chinese and English by Trainee Interpreters

Abstract

Interpreters can either interpret from the first language (L1) to the second language (L), or in the other direction. Understanding translation and interpreting as a direction-dependent process contributes to a wider and more critical view regarding the role of both languages in the process, as well as the identity, perspectives, and preferences of translators. The effect of directionality primarily weighs on stimulus and individual factors. This study explores the impact of directionality on the performance of trainee interpreters by examining four critical aspects of quality in target speeches, namely: speech rate, information completeness, delivery, and quality of expression. We observed an advantage for L2-L1 over L1-L2 interpreting in the form of interpreting quality (i.e., delivery and quality of expression) but not in content (i.e., the level of information retained in the target language). These effects of interpreting directionality suggest an important role of L2 proficiency in interpreting. Moreover, L1-L2 interpreting is cognitively demanding compared to L2-L1 interpreting for trainee interpreters. This research sheds light on the cognitive mechanisms of interpreting in different directions and provides pedagogical recommendations for training interpreters.

Into-A or Into-B, That is a Question: A Systematic Literature Review of Directionality and Performance in Consecutive Interpreting

“…The language-pair specific differences between A and B languages contributed to the directionality effect on interpreting quality (Chanprapun, 2020). Chou et al’s (2021) study of trainee interpreters between English (B) and Chinese (A) suggested that they were more fluent in into-A direction with a higher quality of language, but the level of information completeness was higher in into-B direction. The statement by Chou et al (2021) that into-B interpreting was cognitively more demanding for trainee interpreters was proved by optical mapping of students’ brain activity based on functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) technology (He et al, 2021).…”

“…Among all the factors impacting the performance of interpreters, L2 proficiency is the most frequently studied variable. Among student interpreters “L2 proficiency is a confounding variable” (Chou et al, 2021, p. 2) that modulates the effect of directionality on performance in that the activated brain regions of students with higher L2 proficiency “included the right Broca’s area and the left premotor and supplementary motor cortex” (He et al, 2021, p. 1). This coincides with the findings about professional interpreters in SI by Chang and Schallert (2007), and J.…”

Can You See It in a Different Colour? Visual Imagery Control Predicts Consecutive Interpreting Performance

“…As the source speaker continues, the process resumes with new stretches while the interpreter deletes the previous information and store/recall new ones to continue interpreting the speech into the target language. Overall, the CI process involves constant control and manipulation of verbal information and injects progressively increasing loads in WM, particularly between the languages with inverse syntactic structures such as English (S+V+O) and Turkish (S+O+V) (Chou et al, 2021;Collard et al, 2018). As a matter of fact, CI itself is a control/manipulation task and requires considerable cognitive flexibility when the entire process is considered (Dong et al, 2018;Dong & Liu, 2016;Dong & Xie, 2014;Wen & Dong, 2019).…”

Expertise differences in cognitive interpreting: A meta‐analysis of eye tracking studies across four decades

“…Several studies point to the positive correlation between expertise and cognitive efficiency in interpretation tasks. The findings suggest that experienced interpreters demonstrate distinct visual attention pathways and appear to endure less cognitive strain than their less experienced counterparts, thereby implying that heightened expertise could lead to a reduced cognitive burden (Chou et al, 2021; Rojas‐Murillo et al, 2022; Tiselius & Sneed, 2020; Yang, 2019). These conclusions suggest that proficiency is pivotal in minimizing cognitive load, thereby shaping the future of effective interpreter training programs.…”

“…In an increasingly interconnected global society, the heightened demand for skilled interpreters underscores the importance of understanding the cognitive processes inherent in interpreting (Chou et al, 2021; Stachowiak‐Szymczak & Korpal, 2019). Cognitive interpreting studies, at the convergence of linguistics, cognitive science, and communication studies, explore how individuals decode messages from a source language and encode them into a target language, providing valuable insights into the complexities of information processing and transformation (Hervais‐Adelman & Babcock, 2020).…”