On interpreters’ working memory and executive control

Abstract

Research questions:The purpose of the study was to reveal new aspects of interpreters' memory and executive control. Design: The memory and executive control of simultaneous and consecutive interpreters were compared to those of foreign language teachers and non-linguistic experts in two experiments: free recall and cocktail-party dichotic listening. Data: Volunteers were 94 participants (22 to 26 participants in each group) with a minimum of 10 years of professional experience. Findings: Simultaneous interpreters outperformed the non-linguistic experts in free recall. Though most of them detected their name in the cocktail-party test, they made no errors in the first and second word after it. In contrast, consecutive interpreters exceeded the performance of non-linguistic experts in seldom detecting their name in the cocktail-party test, as well as in making just a few errors in the first word after it. The results seem to indicate expertisedependent differences between the two interpreter groups, as well as between foreign language teachers and non-linguistic experts. For simultaneous interpreters, the findings can be explained by conditions at work which demand the continuous dividing of attention between listening to the source text, formulating and speaking the target text, and even monitoring and comparing the equivalence of the two. With consecutive interpreters, the results could reflect high demands for resisting external distractions at work. Originality: The results seem to point to expertise-dependent differences in memory and executive control between different foreign language expert groups achieved as a result of thorough experience in their field of expertise.

Taxing the bilingual mind: Effects of simultaneous interpreting experience on verbal and executive mechanisms

“…That being said, note that other populations characterized by different intense forms of bilingual training/practice (e.g., translators, consecutive interpreters or L2 teachers) have sometimes been shown to possess performance levels similar to those obtained by ISs or PSIs. This has been observed for specific domains, such as vocabulary knowledge, word translation, picture naming (Christoffels et al, 2006), verbal fluency (Stavrakaki et al, 2012), WM (Stavrakaki et al, 2012), cognitive flexibility (Henrard & Van Daele, 2017), and recall without articulatory suppression (Hiltunen et al, 2016; Hiltunen & Vik, 2017). Although such patterns suggest that SI experience is not the only factor that could lead to (some of) the reported effects, they do not invalidate the claim that SI experience is directly associated with the reported enhancements; as it were, a relationship between factors A and Z is not falsified by evidence that Z is also related to B.…”

“…The present review indicates that, in addition to how early or how proficiently an L2 was acquired, another critical determinant in the sustained development of bilingual systems is the intensity of the demands placed on them. Admittedly, some studies have failed to report whether their IS or PSI samples were matched for L2 proficiency/experience with UMs (e.g., Bajo et al, 2000; Darò, 1989; Fabbro et al, 1991; Hiltunen et al, 2016; Szarkowska et al, 2018; Tzou et al, 2012). Although interpreter advantages in those cases may well be reflecting the impact of higher language competence, most reports have effectively ruled out this confound (e.g., Aparicio et al, 2017; Babcock & Vallesi, 2017; Elmer & Kühnis, 2016; Hervais-Adelman et al, 2015, 2017; Morales et al, 2015; Santilli et al, 2018; Signorelli et al, 2012; Van de Putte et al, 2018; Yudes et al, 2011, 2013), suggesting that such effects could actually be specifically driven by experience in this particular activity.…”

“…As these subjects encounter such particular socio-communicative scenarios on a regular basis, their bilingual experience is qualitatively and phenomenologically different from that of other sub-groups within the diverse bilingual population. Indeed, the particular combination of verbal and executive demands inherent to SI sets it apart from other specialized forms of dual-language processing, such as L2 learning or teaching and consecutive interpreting (Hiltunen, Paakkonen, Vik & Krause, 2016; Stavrakaki, Megari, Kosmidis, Apostolidou & Takou, 2012).…”

Cognitive and Neurocognitive Effects From the Unique Bilingual Experiences of Interpreters

“…The investigation of recall abilities in professional SI has shown that only if the task involves articulatory suppression (what is similar to the professional task of SI), expert SI have a larger recall capacity than other multilinguals ( Bajo et al, 2000 ; Köpke and Nespoulous, 2006 ; Yudes et al, 2012 ). If rehearsal is not impeded, they perform similarly to control groups (e.g., Hiltunen et al, 2016 ).…”

“…In Hiltunen et al (2016) , WM and executive control of SIs, consecutive interpreters, foreign language teachers, and non-interpreter bilinguals were compared. The results from a free-recall task and a cocktail-party dichotic listening task demonstrated expertise-dependent differences between all four groups that can be explained by their conditions at work.…”