Planning ahead: Interpreters predict source language in consecutive interpreting

Abstract

Interpreters are hypothesized to anticipate the source language (SL) in comprehension and the target language (TL) in production to facilitate timely delivery. In two experiments, we examined whether interpreters make more predictions in SL comprehension in consecutive interpreting than in regular language comprehension and whether such enhanced prediction (if any) is constrained by cognitive resources. Participants were quicker at reading a predictable versus unpredictable critical word and/or following words (e.g., Without the sunglasses/hat, the sun will hurt your eyes on the beach, where eyes is the critical word), and the prediction effect was larger when they read to later interpret (into Chinese) than to later recall. The enhanced prediction in reading to interpret disappeared when the cognitive load was high, suggesting that SL prediction in interpreting requires cognitive resources. Our findings suggest that, when cognitive resources allow, interpreters engage in enhanced linguistic prediction in SL comprehension to facilitate the delivery of interpreting.

Speech errors in consecutive interpreting: Effects of language proficiency, working memory, and anxiety

“…Our findings regarding the effects of working memory align with previous findings about its influence on interpreting performance [ 22 , 34 , 35 , 46 , 63 , 75 ]. Moreover, our data suggests that, akin to language proficiency, working memory in comprehension restricts the conceptual understanding of the source language.…”

“…Working memory has long been assumed to underlie interpreting performance [see 45 , for a review]. Zhao et al [ 22 ] showed that interpreters make lexical predictions in source language comprehension, but not when their working memory resources are depleted. Christoffels, de Groot, and Kroll [ 46 ] showed that trained interpreters outperformed both bilingual students and English teachers in working memory but not necessarily language proficiency, thus suggesting that professional interpreting practice is particularly associated with better (verbal) working memory capacity.…”

Interpreting experience and working memory effects on L1 and L2 morphological prediction

“…When comparing interpreters' prediction while reading for comprehension and reading to interpret in the consecutive mode, prediction effects are stronger when the interpreters need to interpret, although enhanced prediction disappears when the cognitive load is high. These results indicate that interpreting increases prediction experience both during comprehension (in the source language) and production (in the target language) (Zhao et al, 2022).…”

Purposeful listening in challenging conditions: A study of prediction during consecutive interpreting in noise

“…Thus, listening for the purpose of consecutive interpreting may be more likely to involve phonological prediction than listening for the purpose of comprehension. Zhao, Chen, and Cai [ 58 ] found that bilinguals read predictable but not unpredictable words faster in their L2 when they were reading to consecutively interpret rather than to recall. This suggests that prediction might be enhanced during comprehension when interpreting consecutively.…”

“…We also hypothesized that a consecutive interpreting task would lead to earlier and more predictive fixations on images representing predictable words, and may lead to predictive fixations on phonological competitors after fixations on these predictable images. Consecutive interpreting requires focused attention and this might both improve speech recognition in noise [ 7 ] and encourage earlier or greater prediction [ 48 , 58 ]. In addition, consecutive interpreting engages the production mechanism, and this might lead to word-form prediction [ 1 ].…”