Cover not available
Article published In:
Babel
Vol. 65:1 (2019) ► pp.1–25

Coping with speed

An experimental study on expert and novice interpreter performance in the simultaneous interpreting of scientific discourse

| University of Geneva
| University of Geneva
This article presents an experimental study that compares six expert and eleven novice interpreters in order to assess the effect of moderate and high delivery rates on the simultaneous interpreting of specialised discourse. The dependent variables were ear voice span (EVS) and target speech accuracy. The participants interpreted one medical speech from English into Spanish divided into three parts: the first and third parts were delivered at a moderate delivery rate and the second at a high delivery rate. Twelve segments were selected from the original speech and evaluated by five independent raters (two interpreters and three medical doctors) in terms of accuracy. The findings indicate that a high delivery rate has no significant impact on EVS, and no statistically significant differences were found between the EVS of the two groups of interpreters. The results also show that a high delivery rate has an impact on target speech accuracy in that both novices and experts perform better at a moderate delivery rate.
Keywords: delivery rate, simultaneous interpreting, scientific discourse, ear voice span (EVS), target speech accuracy
Article outline
  • 1.The challenge of speed
  • 2.Coping with speed in scientific speeches
  • 3.Ear-voice span (EVS)
  • 4.The experiment
    • 4.1Research questions and hypotheses
    • 4.2Methodology
      • 4.2.1Design
      • 4.2.2Participants
      • 4.2.3Materials (speeches/items)
      • 4.2.4Procedure
      • 4.2.5Data analysis
        • 4.2.5.1EVS
        • 4.2.5.2Target speech accuracy
    • 4.3Results
      • 4.3.1EVS
        • 4.3.1.1Effects of the delivery rate and the interpreter’s expertise on EVS
        • 4.3.1.2Effects of the delivery rate and the interpreter’s expertise on the mean number of omissions
      • 4.3.2Target speech accuracy
        • 4.3.2.1Syntactic accuracy
        • 4.3.2.2Semantic accuracy
        • 4.3.2.3Level of accuracy
        • 4.3.2.4Level of comprehension
        • 4.3.2.5Target speech accuracy
  • 5.Discussion of the results
  • 6.Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • Note
  • References
Published online: 29 March 2019
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/babel.00081.rui
References (55)
References
Adamowicz, Alicja. 1989. “The Role of Anticipation in Discourse: Text Processing in Simultaneous Interpreting”. Polish Psychological Bulletin 20 (2): 153–160.Google Scholar
Alonso Bacigalupe, Luis. 1999. “Sobre la doble recepción del mensaje y la preparación del texto: Resultados de un estudio experimental en IS”. In Anovar/Anosar: Estudios de traducción e interpretación, ed. by Alberto Álvarez Lugrís; and Anxo Fernández Ocampo, 11–25. Vigo: Servicio de Publicacións, Universidad de Vigo.Google Scholar
Anderson, Linda. 1994. “Simultaneous Interpretation: Contextual and Translation Aspects”. In Bridging the Gap: Empirical Research in Simultaneous Interpretation, ed. by Sylvie Lambert; and Barbara Moser-Mercer, 101–120. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Baese-Berk, Melissa M.; and Tuuli H. Morrill. 2015. “Speaking Rate Consistency in Native and non-Native Speakers of English”. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 138 (3): 223–228. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Barghout, Alma; Lucía Ruiz Rosendo; and Mónica Varela García. 2015. “The Influence of Speed on Omissions in Simultaneous Interpretation. An Experimental Study”. Babel 61 (3): 305–334. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Barik, Henri C. 1973. “Simultaneous Interpretation: Temporal and Quantitative Data”. Language and Speech 161: 237–270. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bevilacqua, Lorenzo. 2009. “The Position of the Verb in Germanic Languages and Simultaneous Interpretation”. The Interpreters’ Newsletter 141: 1–31.Google Scholar
Carter-Thomas, Shirley; and Elizabeth Rowley-Jolivet. 2003. “Analysing the Scientific Conference Presentation. A Methodological Overview of a Multimodal Genre”. ASp: La revue du GERAS 39/401: 59–72. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Chernov, Ghelly V. 2004. Inference and Anticipation in Simultaneous Interpreting. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Christoffels, Ingrid K.; and Annette M. B. De Groot. 2004. “Components of Simultaneous Interpreting: Comparing Interpreting with Shadowing and Paraphrasing”. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition 7 (3): 227–240. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Christoffels, Ingrid K. 2004. Cognitive Studies in Simultaneous Interpreting. PhD dissertation. Amsterdam: University of Amsterdam.Google Scholar
De Groot, Annette M. B. 1997. “The Cognitive Study of Translation and Interpretation: Three Approaches”. In Cognitive Processes in Translation and Interpreting, ed. by Joseph H. Danks; Gregory M. Shreve; Stephen B. Fountain; and Michael K. McBeath, 25–26. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.Google Scholar
De Manuel Jerez, Jesús. 2014. “L’usage des discours réels dans la formation d’interprètes: pourquoi, comment et quand?” EVIVA Seminar, Evaluating the Use of Virtual Learning Environments in the Education of Interpreters and their Clients. Welsh Higher Education, Brussels, 28 November 2014.Google Scholar
Defrancq, Bart. 2015. “Corpus-based Research into the Presumed Effects of Short EVS”. Interpreting 17 (1): 26–45. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Dejean le Féal, Karla. 1978. Lectures et improvisations: Incidences de la forme de l’énonciation sur la traduction simultanée. PhD dissertation. Paris: Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle.Google Scholar
Díaz Gálaz, Stephanie. 2012. La influencia del conocimiento previo en la interpretación simultánea de discursos especializados: Un estudio empírico. PhD dissertation. Granada: University of Granada.Google Scholar
Díaz Gálaz, Stephanie; Presentación Padilla Benítez; and M. Teresa Bajo Molina. 2015. “The Role of Advance Preparation in Simultaneous Interpreting: A Comparison of Professional Interpreters and Interpreting Students”. Interpreting 17 (1): 1–25. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Donato, Valentina. 2003. “Strategies Adopted by Student Interpreters in SI: A Comparison Between the English-Italian and the German-Italian Language-pairs”. The Interpreter’s Newsletter 121: 101–134.Google Scholar
Gerver, David. 1969/2002. “The Effects of Source Language Presentation Rate on the Performance of Simultaneous Conference Interpreters”. In The Interpreting Studies Reader, ed. by Franz Pöchhacker; and Miriam Schlesinger, 53–66. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
. 1976. “Empirical Studies of Simultaneous Interpretation: A Review and a Model”. In Translation: Applications and Research, ed. by Richard W. Brislin, 165–207. New York: Gardner Press.Google Scholar
Gile, Daniel. 2009. Basic Concepts and Models for Interpreter and Translator Training (Rev. ed.). Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Goffman, Erving. 1981. Forms of Talk. Philadelphia (PA): University of Pennsylvania Press.Google Scholar
Goldman-Eisler, Frieda. 1972. “Segmentation of Input in Simultaneous Interpretation”. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research 1 (2): 127–140. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hild, Adelina. 2011. “Effects of Linguistic Complexity on Expert Processing during Simultaneous Interpreting”. In Methods and Strategies of Process Research: Integrative Approaches in Translation Studies, ed. by Cecilia Alvstad; Adelina Hild; and Elizabeth Tiselius, 249–267. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
. 2014. “The Role of Self-regulatory Processes in the Development of Interpreting Expertise”. Translation and Interpreting Studies 9 (1): 128–149. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Isham, William P. 1994. “Memory for Sentence Form after Simultaneous Interpretation: Evidence both for and against Deverbalization”. In Bridging the Gap: Experimental Research in Simultaneous Interpretation, ed. by Sylvie Lambert; and Barbara Moser-Mercer, 155–212. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lamberger-Felber, Heike. 2001. “Text-Oriented Research into Interpreting”. Hermes, Journal of Linguistics 261: 39–64.Google Scholar
Lederer, Marianne. 1981. La traduction simultanée: expérience et théorie. Paris: Minard.Google Scholar
Lee, Tae-Hyung. 2002. “Ear Voice Span in English into Korean Simultaneous Interpretation”. Meta 47 (4): 596–606. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Li, Changshuan. 2010. “Coping Strategies for Fast Delivery in Simultaneous Interpretation”. JoSTrans 131: 19–25.Google Scholar
Liu, Minhua. 2001. Expertise in Simultaneous Interpreting: A Working Memory Analysis. Unpublished PhD dissertation. Austin (TX): University of Texas at Austin.Google Scholar
Liu, Minhua; Diane L. Schallert; and Patrick J. Carroll. 2004. “Working Memory and Expertise in Simultaneous Interpreting”. Interpreting 6 (1): 19–42. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
MacWhinney, Brian. 1997. “Simultaneous Interpretation and the Competition Model”. In Cognitive Processes in Translation and Interpreting, ed. by Joseph H. Danks; Gregory M. Shreve; Stephen B. Fountain; and Michael K. McBeath, 215–232. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.Google Scholar
Messina, Alessandro. 1998. “The Reading Aloud of English Language Texts in Simultaneously Interpreted Conferences”. Interpreting 3 (2): 147–161. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Meuleman, Chris; and Fred Van Besien. 2009. “Coping with Extreme Speech Conditions in Simultaneous Interpreting”. Interpreting 11 (1): 20–34. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Monti, Christina; Claudio Bendazzoli; Annalisa Sandrelli; and Mariachiara Russo. 2005. “Studying Directionality in Simultaneous Interpreting through an Electronic Corpus: EPIC (European Parliament Interpreting Corpus)”. Meta 50 (4): np. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Napier, Jemina. 2004. “Interpreting Omissions. A New Perspective”. Interpreting 6 (2): 117–142. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Navarro González, Fernando A. 1997. Traducción y lenguaje en medicina. Barcelona: Fundación Dr. Antonio Esteve.Google Scholar
Oléron, Pierre; and Hubert Nanpon. 1965. “Recherches sur la traduction simultanée”. Journal de psychologie normale et pathologique 621: 73–94.Google Scholar
Ono, Takahiro; Hitomi Tohyama; and Shigeki Matsubara. 2008. “Construction and Analysis of Word-Level Time-Aligned Simultaneous Interpretation Corpus”. In Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation, ed. by Nicoletta Calzolari; Khalid Choukri; Bente Maegaard; Joseph Mariani; Jan Odijk; Stelios Piperidis; and Daniel Tapias. Paris: ELRA.Google Scholar
Pio, Sonia. 2003. “The Relation between ST Delivery Rate and Quality in Simultaneous Interpretation”. The Interpreters’ Newsletter 121: 69–100.Google Scholar
Podhajská, Květa. 2008. “Time Lag in Simultaneous Interpretation from English into Czech and its Dependence on Text Type”. Folia Translatologica 101: 87–110.Google Scholar
Pym, Anthony. 2009. “On Omission in Simultaneous Interpreting: Risk Analysis of a Hidden Effort”. In Efforts and Models in Interpreting and Translation Research: A Tribute to Daniel Gile, ed. by Gyde Hansen; Andrew Chesterman; and Heidrun Gerzymisch-Arbogast, 83–105. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Roach, Peter. 1998. “Some Languages are Spoken More Quickly than Others”. In Language Myths, ed. by Laurie Bauer; and Peter Trudgill, 150–158. London: Penguin.Google Scholar
Rodero, Emma. 2012. “A Comparative Analysis of Speech Rate and Perception in Radio Bulletins”. Text and Talk 32 (3): 391–411. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Ruiz Rosendo, Lucía. 2009. La interpretación en el ámbito de la medicina. Granada: Comares.Google Scholar
Schweda-Nicholson, Nancy. 1987. “Linguistic and Extralinguistic Aspects of Simultaneous Interpretation”. Applied Linguistics 8 (2): 194–205. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Seleskovitch, Danica; and Marianne Lederer. 1984. Interpréter pour traduire. Paris: Didier Érudition.Google Scholar
Seleskovitch, Danica. 1978. Interpreting for International Conferences. Washington D. C.: Pen & Booth.Google Scholar
Setton, Robin; and Andrew Dawrant. 2016. Conference Interpreting. A Complete Course. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Shlesinger, Miriam. 2003. “Effects of Presentation Rate on Working Memory in Simultaneous Interpreting”. The Interpreters’ Newsletter 121: 37–49.Google Scholar
Sunnari, Marianna. 1995. “Processing Strategies in Simultaneous Interpreting (SI): “Saying It All” vs. Synthesis”. In Topics in Interpreting Research, ed. by Jorma Tommola, 109–121. Turku: University of Turku.Google Scholar
Swales, John M. 1990. Genre Analysis: English in Academic and Research Settings. Cambridge: CUP.Google Scholar
Timarová, Sarka; Barbara Dragsted; and Inge G. Hansen. 2011. “Time Lag in Translation and Interpreting. A Methodological Exploration”. In Methods and Strategies of Process Research. Integrative Approaches in Translation Studies, ed. by Cecilia Alvstad; Adelina Hild; and Elizabeth Tiselius, 121–146. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Tiselius, Elizabeth; and Gard B. Jenset. 2011. “Process and product in simultaneous interpreting: What they tell us about experience and expertise”. In Methods and Strategies of Process Research. Integrative Approaches in Translation Studies, ed. by Cecilia Alvstad; Adelina Hild; and Elizabeth Tiselius, 269–300. Amsterdan: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cited by (6)

Cited by six other publications

Gieshoff, Anne Catherine & Michaela Albl-Mikasa
2024. Interpreting accuracy revisited: a refined approach to interpreting performance analysis. Perspectives 32:2 ► pp. 210 ff. DOI logo
Guo, Meng & Lili Han
2024. From manual to machine. Interpreting. International Journal of Research and Practice in Interpreting 26:1 ► pp. 24 ff. DOI logo
Cheung, Andrew K. F.
2022. Remote Simultaneous Interpreting from Home or Hub: Accuracy of Numbers from English into Mandarin Chinese. In Translation and Interpreting in the Age of COVID-19 [Corpora and Intercultural Studies, 9], ► pp. 113 ff. DOI logo
Gieshoff, Anne Catherine
2021. Does it help to see the speaker’s lip movements?. Translation, Cognition & Behavior 4:1 ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
Seeber, Kilian G., Laura Keller & Alexis Hervais-Adelman
2020. When the ear leads the eye – the use of text during simultaneous interpretation. Language, Cognition and Neuroscience 35:10 ► pp. 1480 ff. DOI logo
Su, Wenchao
2020. Translation Style in Sight Translation. In Eye-Tracking Processes and Styles in Sight Translation [New Frontiers in Translation Studies, ], ► pp. 19 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 30 june 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.