Eye-tracking the processing of visual input of live transcripts in remote simultaneous interpreting

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to the booming of remote simultaneous interpreting (RSI), which poses new cognitive challenges for interpreters. This study explores how interpreters adapt to these challenges, specifically the functionality of live transcripts generated automatically by Zoom Meetings in RSI. The study aims to: (1) investigate whether access to live transcripts enhances the overall performance of interpreters; (2) explore whether RSI with live transcripts increases cognitive demands; (3) identify visual attention patterns in RSI with live transcripts. A group of professional interpreting trainees (N = 13) were recruited for the study to examine their interpreting with live transcripts and interpreting without live transcripts, which yields three preliminary findings: Firstly, using live transcripts significantly improves overall interpreting performance. Secondly, RSI with live transcripts is more cognitively demanding. Lastly, live transcripts attract the highest visual attention during the interpreting process.