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Article published In:
Translation and Interpreting Studies
Vol. 17:2 (2022) ► pp.264–286

The effects of mode on interpreting performance in a simulated police interview

ORCID logo | University of New South Wales
ORCID logo | The University of Newcastle
ORCID logo | Griffith University
ORCID logo | University of New South Wales

This study tested the effects of the consecutive and simultaneous interpreting modes in a simulated police interview, addressing four research questions: (1) Does the consecutive interpreting mode lead to more accurate interpreting than the simultaneous interpreting mode? (2) Do language combinations moderate the performance of similarly qualified interpreters? (3) Does experience in simultaneous interpreting in legal settings increase interpreting accuracy in SI? and (4) Which mode of interpreting do interpreters perceive to require more mental effort? A total of 70 interpreters interpreted a live simulated interview between an English-speaking interviewer and an Arabic-, Mandarin- or Spanish-speaking suspect. Mode was varied within participants, and the order of the mode was counter-balanced across participants. Interpreters rated their perceived mental effort after the task. Independent assessments of performance showed better results for the simultaneous interpreting mode, regardless of language. This effect held for accuracy of style, verbal rapport markers, and interpreting protocol.

Keywords: interpreting mode, simultaneous, consecutive, legal interpreting
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Cognitive differences between consecutive and simultaneous interpreting
    • Differences in accuracy between consecutive and simultaneous interpreting
    • The present study
  • Method
    • Research design
    • Participants
    • Interview simulation materials
      • Interview script
      • Post-interview questionnaire
      • Procedures
    • Data analysis
      • Assessment of interpreting performance
  • Results
    • Performance by interpreting mode using the seven assessment criteria
    • The impact of experience in legal simultaneous interpreting on performance
    • Post-experiment interpreter survey
  • Discussion
    • Strengths and limitations
  • Conclusions and recommendations
  • Acknowledgements
  • Note
  • References
Published online: 23 February 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/tis.19081.hal
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