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How do trainee interpreters manage cognitive problem triggers in simultaneous interpreting with text?

Insights from eye-tracking and retrospective interviews

ORCiD logo with link | Southeast University
ORCiD logo with link | Lingnan University
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Abstract
This study investigates how trainee interpreters use scripts in simultaneous interpreting with text (SIMTXT) when encountering cognitive problem triggers such as numbers, fast speech rates, proper names, and deviations from the script. Fifteen trainees performed English-to-Chinese SIMTXT under one baseline and four ‘problem-triggering’ conditions, each involving one of the aforementioned triggers. Analysis of eye-tracking data and retrospective interviews revealed that: (1) Cognitive effort and visual attention allocation during SIMTXT were influenced by the cognitive demands associated with each type of problem trigger. Frequent numbers prompted the most intensive script use, with more fixations within the script and fewer fixation shifts between script and video than in the baseline. In contrast, deviations reduced script reliance, with less dwell time and more fixation shifts relative to the baseline. (2) Most participants reported being disrupted by deviations. Their perceptions of script utility varied, but the majority regarded scripts as a valuable visual aid, particularly for managing numbers and proper names.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Cognitive constraints in SI
    • 2.1Multimodal processing and attention allocation in SIMTXT
    • 2.2Benefits and risks of working with script during simultaneous interpreting
  • 3.Cognitive problem triggers of the source input in SI
    • 3.1Fast speech rate
    • 3.2Proper names
    • 3.3Numbers
    • 3.4Deviation from the script
  • 4.Research objectives and research questions
  • 5.Research design
    • 5.1Participants
    • 5.2Materials
    • 5.3Task conditions characterized by typical problem triggers in SIMTXT
    • 5.4Experimental setting
    • 5.5Procedures
  • 6.Data analysis and results
    • 6.1Operationalizing cognitive processing through eye-tracking
    • 6.2Statistical analysis
    • 6.3Results
      • 6.3.1Fixation count per word (FCW) for script processing during SIMTXT
      • 6.3.2Attention shift rate (ASR) between the script and the video area
      • 6.3.3Proportion of dwell time on script (DTP) area during SIMTXT
      • 6.3.4Results from retrospection and interview
  • 7.Discussion
    • 7.1Variation in script reliance in relation to types of problem triggers
    • 7.2Script processing: A dynamic control of visual attention
    • 7.3Idiosyncrasies in script processing patterns: Inter- and intra-individual differences
    • 7.4SIMTXT is much more than reading: Implications for interpreting training and practice
  • 8.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
References (81)
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