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Based on data from the English-Chinese interpretation corpus, we examined the relationship of source text complexity, captured using newly-developed dependency-based and traditional indices, to L2 learners’ interpreting performance captured using complexity, accuracy, and fluency. Best subsets regression and Poisson regression models yielded that the effectiveness of dependency-based indices including mean dependency distance, maximum dependency distance, dependency direction, and root distance, has been demonstrated across various dimensions of L2 learners’ performance. In contrast to the mixed results obtained from traditional indices, the consistent effect of dependency-based indices in these dimensions sheds light on the workings of cognitive processing. These findings provide preliminary support for the impact of dependency-based indices of source text on L2 learners’ interpreting performance, aiding in operationalizing task difficulty in L2 interpreting pedagogy. Moreover, they constitute product-based evidence for understanding bilingual switching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The present study aimed to develop an analytic assessment rubric for the consecutive interpreting course in the educational setting in the Iranian academic context. To this end, the general procedure of rubric development, including data preparation, selection, and refinement, was applied. The performance criteria were categorized into content, form, and delivery. Two groups of participants, experts, and students were recruited to establish the rubric’s validity and reliability. Based on the statistical analysis, the developed analytic rubric was established as a valid tool for use in the Iranian academic context of consecutive interpreting assessment. The proposed rubric may provide novice trainers with a more objective and systematic tool for consecutive interpreting assessments.

The present study aimed to develop an analytic assessment rubric for the consecutive interpreting course in the educational setting in the Iranian academic context. To this end, the general procedure of rubric development, including data preparation, selection, and refinement, was applied. The performance criteria were categorized into content, form, and delivery. Two groups of participants, experts, and students were recruited to establish the rubric's validity and reliability. Based on the statistical analysis, the developed analytic rubric was established as a valid tool for use in the Iranian academic context of consecutive interpreting assessment. The proposed rubric may provide novice trainers with a more objective and systematic tool for consecutive interpreting assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluency is an important yet difficult-to-measure criterion in interpreting assessment. This empirical study of English-Chinese consecutive interpreting aims to identify fluency parameters for a machine-learning-based automated assessment system. The main findings include: (a) empirical evidence supports the choice of the median values as the cut-offs for unfilled pauses and articulation rate; (b) it informs the selection of outliers as particularly long unfilled pauses, relatively long unfilled pauses, particularly slow articulation and relatively slow articulation; (c) number of filled pauses, number of unfilled pauses, number of relatively slow articulation, mean length of unfilled pauses, mean length of filled pauses can be chosen to build machine-learning models to predict interpreting fluency in future studies as they can explain the variance of established temporal measures and show stronger explanatory power than dependent variables when predicting scores. The study identifies assessment rubrics on an empirical basis and provides a methodological solution to automate the labour-intensive tasks in interpreting assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the parallel translation process of 30 beginning and 30 advanced consecutive interpreting students (BISs and AISs). It investigates the characteristics and efficiency of parallel translation processing employed during the comprehension phase across proficiency levels. Quantitative and qualitative analyses reveal AISs demonstrated superior information reformulation capabilities, particularly for high-density content, along with more efficient note-taking and utilization compared to BISs. A key finding is that AISs interpreted more propositions than they recorded in their notes, reflecting stronger encoding and memory retention. In contrast, BISs relied heavily on external notation instead of internal memory retrieval, only interpreting a portion of their notes while failing to decipher the rest. These findings uncover complex yet differentiated parallel processing approaches across skill levels, with more successful comprehension-to-production strategies utilized by AISs. Enhancing students’ metacognitive awareness regarding parallel processing techniques may improve information processing efficiency during source language comprehension, ultimately enhancing target language reformulation accuracy and completeness.

Abstract Given the inherent association of interpreting with feelings of anxiousness, the subject of interpreting poses a formidable challenge for students in this field. A large number of prospective interpreters assert that they are unable to complete the assignment to a satisfactory level because they are unable to get past their fear. The harmful effect of anxiety on the interpreting performance of student trainees could result in failure and fully inhibit their accomplishment. Despite the growing recognition of anxiety as a significant challenge in interpreting education, there is a lack of comprehensive studies investigating the specific factors contributing to anxiety in consecutive interpreting and effective strategies for its reduction. To address this issue and in order to identify the factors contributing to trainees’ anxiety and those that might help to reduce consecutive interpreting (CI) anxiety, thirty students were chosen to participate in semi-structured interviews. Different factors exerting an effect on the anxiety levels of Iranian CI pupils were identified through qualitative research. These factors were categorized into six groups, i.e., individual, input (language-related factors, speaker-related factors), note- taking (inappropriate note-taking skill, lack of creativity in taking notes), environmental (noise and distraction, peer-related factors), output (meaning transfer, delivery), and teacher-related (testing, teachers’ behavior). Moreover, the study found that factors to reduce anxiety in consecutive interpreting could be classified as teacher-related and trainee-related factors each with additional sub-factors.

This study reports on an extended learner needs analysis carried out at different stages of course progress in the undergraduate course of Consecutive Interpreting. The participants were 32 undergraduate translation students. Two questionnaires were used to identify the initial- and final-stage lacks and wants, and learners’ reflective diaries served as a tool to gain ongoing insight into their lacks. At each stage, after the identification of lacks and/or wants, the required adaptations were decided on and implemented, and their effect was traced on learners’ views. The ongoing lacks were mainly related to L2 listening comprehension and note-taking from L2. The final stage investigation of the lacks revealed that although the majority of the learners reported progress in note-taking, listening comprehension, and consecutive interpreting, almost half of them did not feel confident to be active members in class. Moreover, the investigation of wants revealed that a high percentage of the learners believed the class materials and activities were effective regarding their progress. However, activities in which interaction and cooperation were essential were least preferred. This together with the final-stage investigation of lacks revealed that the course curriculum needed to work more toward creating a non-threatening atmosphere for interaction. Although the study was conducted in a specific setting, it bears implications for different settings since it is a practical example of how an extended needs analysis could be done. Besides, the nature of the problems the learners reported and the measures taken to address them could be very similar in other contexts.

Given the inherent association of interpreting with feelings of anxiousness, the subject of interpreting poses a formidable challenge for students in this field. A large number of prospective interpreters assert that they are unable to complete the assignment to a satisfactory level because they are unable to get past their fear. The harmful effect of anxiety on the interpreting performance of student trainees could result in failure and fully inhibit their accomplishment. Despite the growing recognition of anxiety as a significant challenge in interpreting education, there is a lack of comprehensive studies investigating the specific factors contributing to anxiety in consecutive interpreting and effective strategies for its reduction. To address this issue and in order to identify the factors contributing to trainees' anxiety and those that might help to reduce consecutive interpreting (CI) anxiety, thirty students were chosen to participate in semi-structured interviews. Different factors exerting an effect on the anxiety levels of Iranian CI pupils were identified through qualitative research. These factors were categorized into six groups, i.e., individual, input (language-related factors, speaker-related factors), note- taking (inappropriate note-taking skill, lack of creativity in taking notes), environmental (noise and distraction, peer-related factors), output (meaning transfer, delivery), and teacher-related (testing, teachers' behavior). Moreover, the study found that factors to reduce anxiety in consecutive interpreting could be classified as teacher-related and trainee-related factors each with additional sub-factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present paper is to further investigate the mathematical structure of sentences—proposed in a recent paper—and its connections with human short–term memory. This structure is defined by two independent variables which apparently engage two short–term memory buffers in a series. The first buffer is modelled according to the number of words between two consecutive interpunctions—variable referred to as the word interval, I P —which follows Miller's 7 ± 2 law; the second buffer is modelled by the number of word intervals contained in a sentence, M F , ranging approximately for one to seven. These values result from studying a large number of literary texts belonging to ancient and modern alphabetical languages. After studying the numerical patterns (combinations of I P and M F ) that determine the number of sentences that theoretically can be recorded in the two memory buffers—which increases with the use of I P and M F —we compare the theoretical results with those that are actually found in novels from Italian and English literature. We have found that most writers, in both languages, write for readers with small memory buffers and, consequently, are forced to reuse sentence patterns to convey multiple meanings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports on an extended learner needs analysis carried out at different stages of course progress in the undergraduate course of Consecutive Interpreting. The participants were 32 undergraduate translation students. Two questionnaires were used to identify the initial- and final-stage lacks and wants, and learners' reflective diaries served as a tool to gain ongoing insight into their lacks. At each stage, after the identification of lacks and/or wants, the required adaptations were decided on and implemented, and their effect was traced on learners' views. The ongoing lacks were mainly related to L2 listening comprehension and note-taking from L2. The final stage investigation of the lacks revealed that although the majority of the learners reported progress in note-taking, listening comprehension, and consecutive interpreting, almost half of them did not feel confident to be active members in class. Moreover, the investigation of wants revealed that a high percentage of the learners believed the class materials and activities were effective regarding their progress. However, activities in which interaction and cooperation were essential were least preferred. This together with the final-stage investigation of lacks revealed that the course curriculum needed to work more toward creating a non-threatening atmosphere for interaction. Although the study was conducted in a specific setting, it bears implications for different settings since it is a practical example of how an extended needs analysis could be done. Besides, the nature of the problems the learners reported and the measures taken to address them could be very similar in other contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Media interpreting is becoming increasingly important due to the rise of international relations, with sport media interviews interpreted consecutively gaining more attention. As these interviews are aimed at ordinary audiences, it is crucial to understand the audience’s needs and expectations of optimal consecutive interpreting (CI). However, there has been limited research on interpreting recipients in Iran. The present study aimed to investigate the reception of English-Persian sport media interpreting in consecutive mode among ordinary audiences and trainee interpreters as professional viewers. It focused on three main questions: the first and second ones investigated the expectancy norms of optimal consecutive sport interpreting among ordinary audiences and trainee interpreters, and the third question compared these norms between the two groups. To this aim, a mixed-methods approach and triangulated research design that favored a participant-oriented study was employed. A researcher-made questionnaire and three focus group meetings were held in order to gather the required data. Drawing upon both the descriptive statistics of the gathered data and insights from existing literature, six distinct components have been identified. The results in both groups, demonstrated high scores on expectations related to the ‘fluency of delivery’; however, the dimensions of ‘pleasant voice’ and ‘sense consistency with the original message’ obtained the lowest scores, respectively. Considering the dimension ‘required skills’, there was a significant difference between the two groups. The findings shed light on the audiences’ expectations and needs of CI in the context of Iran.

The article reports on a pilot study designed to support a longitudinal study of the development of note-taking competence among second year master’s degree students in an interpreting training programme. The research reported in this article analysed note-taking units, while semi-structured interviews were also conducted with six interpreting students in order to determine the language and frequency of the different types of note-taking units they used. The results show that the students used a mixture of the source and target languages in their notes, they have predominantly used full words and that they were aware that there was still room for development in their note-taking techniques. The pilot study produced results that will be used to optimize further research: it was established that all participants should interpret the same text, that the experiment should be conducted outside of classroom interpreting sessions, that no feedback should be given to the students prior to the interviews, that the students’ interpretation should be audio-recorded, and that the category “full words” should be split into further subcategories.

This text launches a series of articles under the image-based project 'With the Aid of an Unidentified Interpreter: Putting Names to Faces on Historical Photos' dedicated to the history of high-level interpreting. Here, the quest is to identify the interpreter at the two encounters between Nikita Khrushchev and Fidel Castro at Harlem's Hotel Theresa and at the Soviet Mission in New York on 20 and 23 September 1960 based on a photo from the personal archive of Khrushchev's assistant Vladimir Lebedev. This interpreter turned out to be Menia Martínez, a historic figure in Cuban ballet. Educated at the Vaganova School in St. Petersburg (Leningrad), she was proficient in Russian. The text looks at other professional and unprofessional interpreters who worked with the two leaders before, on, and after this trip to New York and whose work contributed to the development of Cuban-Soviet and East-West relations. The discussion draws on available visuals, memoirs, newspaper sources, and unclassified documents placing the discussion in the wider context of international relations at the time. The author is grateful to Menia Martínez, who, in a telephone conversation, has helped in clarifying some of the aspects of the matter under investigation.

This text launches a series of articles under the image-based project 'With the Aid of an Unidentified Interpreter: Putting Names to Faces on Historical Photos' dedicated to the history of high-level interpreting. Here, the quest is to identify the interpreter at the two encounters between Nikita Khrushchev and Fidel Castro at Harlem's Hotel Theresa and at the Soviet Mission in New York on 20 and 23 September 1960 based on a photo from the personal archive of Khrushchev's assistant Vladimir Lebedev. This interpreter turned out to be Menia Martínez, a historic figure in Cuban ballet. Educated at the Vaganova School in St. Petersburg (Leningrad), she was proficient in Russian. The text looks at other professional and unprofessional interpreters who worked with the two leaders before, on, and after this trip to New York and whose work contributed to the development of Cuban-Soviet and East-West relations. The discussion draws on available visuals, memoirs, newspaper sources, and unclassified documents placing the discussion in the wider context of international relations at the time. The author is grateful to Menia Martínez, who, in a telephone conversation, has helped in clarifying some of the aspects of the matter under investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of RumeliDE Journal of Language & Literature Research / RumeliDE Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi is the property of RumeliDE Uluslararasi Hakemli Dil & Edebiyat Arastirmalari Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

During President Carter's visit to Warsaw in 1977, his interpreter into Polish, Steven Seymour, allegedly made major mistakes. American journalists learned of these mistakes from their Polish colleagues and gloated over what they considered erotic overtones in Seymour's interpretation. There is much literature on this episode, but no author has yet consulted the actual interpretation. I was able to obtain an archived audio recording of the entire episode from the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum. In this article, I discuss Seymour's choice of a sentence-by-sentence mode of interpretation and the problems inherent in that mode, classify his errors and inaccuracies, and attempt to uncover the reasons for the exaggerated criticism from the media and the interpreting community. Characteristically, the media paid no attention to the solemn, confident performance of Seymour's Polish colleague, who interpreted Edward Gierek's speech into English. The episode is a good testimony to the role of diplomatic interpreters, whose moment of glory only comes when they make a factual or imaginary mistake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Lebende Sprachen is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Although the debate over the into-A and into-B interpreting has never stopped, the focal point was mostly set on simultaneous interpreting and sign language interpreting. Directionality in consecutive interpreting (CI) has not been studied fully so far. The present systematic literature review was designed to examine the relationship between directionality and performance in CI across a wide range of settings and empirical methods based on PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) and search for articles in English in Scopus and Web of Science. Three problems were investigated in the current research: (i) How does directionality impact performance among professional and student interpreters in CI? (ii) What factors contribute to the effect of directionality on performance? (iii) Does directionality preference impact the interpreter's performance? The findings include: (i) directionality proves to influence the performance of interpreters whose A- and B-languages are not equally proficient, whereas balanced bilinguals are not affected by directionality; (ii) both internal and external factors contribute to the interpreters' performance; (iii) only descriptive studies about interpreters' directionality preference were identified in the prior literature, and a further study with more focus on the interactive power of directionality preference on interpreters' performance is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of RumeliDE Journal of Language & Literature Research / RumeliDE Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi is the property of RumeliDE Uluslararasi Hakemli Dil & Edebiyat Arastirmalari Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The cognitive approach to the semantics of Russian verbal prefixes (RVPs) defines each of their meanings by virtue of a visual cognitive configuration. Since the process of note-taking in consecutive interpreting (CI) calls for the use of symbols that must be clear, evocative, and unambiguous, the aim of this work is to test whether configurations for RVPs can be effectively repurposed as CI symbols, as a way to help interpreters provide more precise translations of Russian prefixed verbs into a target language. In particular, we will focus on the meaning of the RVP pere- in the context of Russian→Italian CI. We will analyze examples of Russian texts that will be translated into CI symbols, using RVP configurations for pere-verbs; on the basis of that, these symbols will in turn be translated into Italian. This way, we hope to provide some useful guidelines for the visual language of CI symbols, so as not to alter the meaning of Russian prefixed verbs when interpreting into Italian.

Introduction: Previous research on performance in interpreting has focused primarily on the influence of interpreting experience on executive functions, such as shifting, updating, and inhibition. However, limited research has explored the effects of executive functions on performance. Understanding how different executive functions affect interpreting performance can provide valuable insights for teaching methods. Therefore, the present study aims to examine the effects of executive functions on comprehension and output performance during bidirectional consecutive interpreting between Chinese and Japanese. Methods: This study involved 48 Chinese advanced Japanese language learners. Self-assessment results indicated that all participants were unbalanced bilingual individuals. All participants took part in consecutive interpreting, completed comprehension tests, and underwent executive function tests. Executive functions were assessed using the color--shape switching task, 1-back task, and Stroop task. Results: Analysis using Bayesian linear regression revealed the following. (1) Updating exhibited a significant impact on both Japanese-to-Chinese and Chinese-to-Japanese interpreting, indicating that higher updating ability was associated with better interpreting performance. (2) Inhibition showed a significant effect on Japanese-to-Chinese interpreting performance, whereas the effect was not significant in Chinese-to-Japanese interpreting. (3) No significant effects of shifting were observed in either Japanese-to-Chinese or Chinese-to-Japanese interpreting. Discussion: The results indicate that executive functions have different effects on the interpreting performance of unbalanced bilinguals, while these effects are also influenced by the direction of the source language. Based on these findings, it is recommended that executive function training should be included in interpreter teaching and training programs, with a specific focus on the updating and inhibition functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a study conducted over several weeks with 22 undergraduate fourth year Translation BA students taking the compulsory Consecutive Interpreting module. The aim of the study was to ascertain whether the use of the ORCIT note-taking resource had an impact on learner knowledge and note-taking skills. The study followed the relevant parameters of the five-level holistic TEL evaluation framework by Pickering and Joynes (2016). The results did not show a statistically significantly better performance of the ORCIT group versus the control group during the trial but, comparing the pre-trial interpreting performance of students with their interpretation during the trial, the ORCIT group showed a statistically significant improvement, while the control group did not. This suggests a possible beneficial effect of the note-taking resource in terms of transfer of learning (learner gain) rather than knowledge retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prospect of automated scoring for interpreting fluency has prompted investigations into the predictability of human raters' perceived fluency based on acoustically measured utterance fluency. Recently, Han, Chen, Fu and Fan (2020) correlated ten utterance fluency measures with raters' perceived fluency ratings. To verify previous correlational patterns, the present study partially replicated Han et al. (2020). Our analysis shows that most of the correlations observed in Han et al. (2020) were successfully replicated. To produce overall interim estimates of the true relationships, we conducted a mini meta-analysis of correlation coefficients reported in six relevant studies, informed by the "continuously cumulating meta-analysis" approach (Braver et al. 2014). We found that phonation time ratio, mean length of run, and speech rate had relatively strong correlations with perceived fluency. We discuss these findings in light of automated fluency assessment and the need for replication and meta-analysis in translation and interpreting studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facing a new technological turn, the field of interpreting is in great need of evidence on the effectiveness of computer-assisted interpreting. This study proposes a computer-assisted consecutive interpreting (CACI) mode incorporating speech recognition (SR) and machine translation (MT). First, the interpreter listens to the source speech and respeaks it into an SR system, creating an SR text which is then processed by an MT system. Second, the interpreter produces a target speech with reference to the SR and MT texts. Six students participated in training on CACI, after which they performed consecutive interpreting in both the conventional and the new mode. The study finds that CACI featured fewer pauses and reduced cognitive load. Moreover, the overall interpreting quality, especially the accuracy, was increased. The effectiveness of the new mode is found to be modulated by the interpreting direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies in Chinese-Portuguese interpreting (Lopes, 2018; Zhou; Sun, 2020) have gained increasing attention in recent years. The present study aims to explore to what extent environment and task characteristics (Chen, 2017) may influence the cognitive load of consecutive interpreting. Based on an adaptation of the criteria proposed by Skehan (2003), the current study assesses cognitive load through disfluencies, with the focus on statistical correlations between fluency and influential factors. Among the examined features, we found the order and duration of the interpreting round, the direction of interpreting, the location and the gender of the source-speech speaker are statistically influential on the interpreting fluency, in decreasing order of importance, while the speed of the source-speech shows no significant correlation with fluency. The study shows the statistically significant indicators for interpreting fluency and suggests the possible explanations, contributing to a better understanding of the cognitive load in Chinese-Portuguese consecutive interpreting and encourages future studies in the area in adopting disfluencies as a tool in assessing cognitive load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Fordítástudomány is the property of Faculty of Humanities ELTE, Department of Translations & Interpreting and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Note-taking for interpreting is a specialist skill originally developed to assist conference interpreters to remember the contents of long speeches when interpreting consecutively in a unidirectional mode. The bulk of the research into note-taking has been in relation to the classic consecutive interpreting mode in international settings, with little research into the use of note-taking in legal interpreting settings. This paper presents the results of a study on note-taking by 13 court interpreters in a simulated criminal trial in Sydney, Australia. It reports the results of interpreters’ note-taking practices, taking into account their language combination, their own perceptions of mental effort and the usefulness of notes as well as their overall interpreting performance.

This paper explores the perspectives of Iraqi undergraduates studying consecutive and simultaneous interpreting (CI, SI) in the Department of Translation at Mustansiriyah University in Iraq following the sudden transition to the online environment due to Covid-19. The online mode of teaching and learning has never been adopted in Iraq before. This study, therefore, aims to investigate the challenges and opportunities that have emerged from this unprecedented experience of online learning. It does so by adopting a mixed-method approach combining an online survey and two online focus group sessions. We also conducted two online pilot experiments to test the feasibility of the Zoom app to teach CI and SI synchronously. The main findings of this study suggest that while a synchronous online learning environment would potentially contribute to enhancing interpreting skills, the online mode cannot totally replace actual classes in the Iraqi higher education context unless a rigorous infrastructure is first established.

Исследование посвящено вопросам обучения переводческому аудированию в процессе иноязычной подготовки переводчиков с учетом его специфики и связанных с ним трудностей. Актуальность данного вопроса обусловлена ключевой ролью этапа восприятия текста оригинала в устном последовательном переводе (УПП) как с точки зрения понимания содержания и смысла оригинала, так и возникновения проблем, негативно влияющих на процесс и качество УПП. Целью исследования было выявление ключевых навыков и умений переводческого аудирования, отсутствующих или вызывающих значительные трудности у студентов-переводчиков при переходе с младшего этапа обучения на старший с намерением их формирования на занятиях по практике иностранного языка. В эксперименте принимали участие студенты третьего курса (29 человек) переводческого факультета, обучающиеся по программе специалитета «Перевод и переводоведение». Были проанализированы комментарии студентов, сделанные ими после выполнения задания на устное восприятие аудиозаписи на иностранном языке с последующей передачей ее содержания на этом же языке, а также наблюдения преподавателя за ходом и результатом выполнения задания. Анализ полученной информации позволил учесть как конкретные факторы, воспрепятствовавшие адекватному и исчерпывающему пониманию записи и отмеченные студентами, так и более глубинные проблемы, обозначенные преподавателем. С учетом комментариев студентов и наблюдений преподавателя были выделены четыре группы трудностей, обусловленных: 1) характером восприятия информации; 2) факторами, вызывающими сбои в восприятии информации; 3) тематикой и характером информации в тексте; 4) психолингвистическими факторами. Однако был сделан вывод, что ключевой проблемой, в значительной степени приводящей к возникновению других, является характер восприятия информации студентами, а именно неумение воспринимать текст как целостную структурно-семантическую единицу, что в значительной степени может влиять на масштаб остальных трудностей. Для решения данной проблемы были предложены методические рекомендации и примеры заданий, использование которых показало свою эффективность в формировании навыков и развитии умений, необходимых для профессионального восприятия устного текста переводчиком. Работа в данном направлении позволит обеспечить преемственность языковых и переводческих дисциплин и повысить подготовленность студентов к освоению устного перевода.

This paper aims to explore the relationship between note-taking and interpreting quality in consecutive interpreting. Research questions focus on three perspectives: language choice, the use of symbols and their influence on interpreting quality, and the problems in note-taking. The research design is divided into three steps: pre-interpretation preparation, consecutive interpretation, and retrospective interview. Through the empirical study, a mixed research method is adopted with the analysis of the notes and retrospective interviews with six participants whose major is translation and interpreting at a university in Northeast China. Specifically, both descriptive data analysis and correlation analysis are used for quantitative data, and thematic analysis aims to better describe qualitative data. Findings are as follows: first, students prefer to use English to take notes in English-to-Chinese consecutive interpreting, while Chinese is used more in Chinese-to-English consecutive interpreting; second, the number of symbols used is not related to the quality of interpreting; third, the following five problems are identified from the interview with student participants in students’ notes: missing key information, inconsistent abbreviations, unclear logics, incomplete records of figures and the meaning of figures, and inadequate records of high-density information. The identification of language choice and problems of note-taking in interpreting practice might help teachers and students understand the problems of students’ note-taking and shed light on teaching and learning consecutive interpreting.

Through the lens of translanguaging theory and the complex, dynamic system theory (CDST) approach, the interpreting process is considered a highly complex and dynamic activity that engages the interpreter’s cognition, emotion, and action during successive “translanguaging moments” of meaning-making. Meanwhile, the two dominant types of interpreting, namely, simultaneous interpreting, and consecutive interpreting are assumed to entail distinct time sensitivity and consume different amounts of cognitive resources at different stages. Based on these assumptions, the present study analyzes interpreters’ momentary engagement during the distinct workflow tasks associated with these two modes of interpreting, with a view to probing their underlying non-linearity, self-organization and emergence dynamics from a micro-level perspective. Furthermore, we triangulated the textual description with multimodal transcription to portray these “translanguaging moments,” which are augmented with a follow-up emotional survey that corroborated our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies showed that interpreters might differ in performance when it comes to directionality. Nevertheless, limited research has been undertaken concerning the impact of directionality on student interpreters' performance in consecutive interpreting (CI), a type of interpreting categorised by the working mode. This study aims to investigate the relationship between directionality and performance by adopting a quantitative approach. Four student interpreters from a Chinese university were selected as samples with a homogeneity sampling method. The participants used Chinese as their first language (L1, or A language) and English as a second language (L2, or B language). Analytic rating scales were combined with propositional analysis to assign scores for different aspects of accuracy and completeness in the product of the CI test by student interpreters. To determine the impact of directionality on performance, paired samples t-test was adopted in the current study by testing the significance of the difference between two mean scores of the CI test. The results showed that directionality affected the performance of student interpreters. Overall, the participants performed better in the into-B direction than in the into-A direction. Thus, it is recommended that teachers pay more attention to training listening comprehension ability of the source text in into-A direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the perspectives of Iraqi undergraduates studying consecutive and simultaneous interpreting (CI, SI) in the Department of Translation at Mustansiriyah University in Iraq following the sudden transition to the online environment due to Covid-19. The online mode of teaching and learning has never been adopted in Iraq before. This study, therefore, aims to investigate the challenges and opportunities that have emerged from this unprecedented experience of online learning. It does so by adopting a mixed-method approach combining an online survey and two online focus group sessions. We also conducted two online pilot experiments to test the feasibility of the Zoom app to teach CI and SI synchronously. The main findings of this study suggest that while a synchronous online learning environment would potentially contribute to enhancing interpreting skills, the online mode cannot totally replace actual classes in the Iraqi higher education context unless a rigorous infrastructure is first established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Note-taking for interpreting is a specialist skill originally developed to assist conference interpreters to remember the contents of long speeches when interpreting consecutively in a unidirectional mode. The bulk of the research into note-taking has been in relation to the classic consecutive interpreting mode in international settings, with little research into the use of note-taking in legal interpreting settings. This paper presents the results of a study on note-taking by 13 court interpreters in a simulated criminal trial in Sydney, Australia. It reports the results of interpreters' note-taking practices, taking into account their language combination, their own perceptions of mental effort and the usefulness of notes as well as their overall interpreting performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Validation is the process of conducting a validity study on a test, gathering evidence to support inferences made based on test scores. Using many-facet Rasch analysis this paper validates the result of a consecutive interpreting test from four aspects: rating scale, raters, examinees and interpreting tasks. The study also identifies factors that affect the test results through bias analysis. The results of this analysis show that: (1) this analytical rating scale and task design can effectively reflect the examinees' interpreting competence, thus making it suitable for validating interpreting assessments; (2) one of the sub-scales: interpreting skills and manners, has a slightly negative effect on the overall validity of the assessment, making further revision on this sub-scale desirable.

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Prediction is an important part of language processing. An open question is to what extent people predict language in challenging circumstances. Here we tested the limits of prediction by asking bilingual Dutch native speakers to interpret Dutch sentences into their English counterparts. In two visual world experiments, we recorded participants' eye movements to co-present visual objects while they engaged in interpreting tasks (consecutive and simultaneous interpreting). Most participants showed anticipatory eye movements to semantically-related upcoming target words in their L1 source language during both consecutive and simultaneous interpretation. A quarter of participants during simultaneous interpretation however did not move their eyes, an extremely unusual participant behaviour in visual world studies. Overall, the findings suggest that most people predict in the source language under challenging interpreting situations. Further work is required to understand the causes of the absence of (anticipatory) eye movements during simultaneous interpretation in a substantial subset of individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the use of modal verbs in Chinese-English government press conference (GPC) interpretation. Modal verbs mark the speaker's opinion of or attitude toward the event described in a sentence. Interpreters also use modal verbs to indicate the stances of the source language speakers. The use of modal verbs has been examined in such contexts as research papers, textbooks, and second language learners' output; however, studies that compare differences in modal verbs between source and target languages in the context of interpreting are sparse. The investigation being reported is based on a comparable corpus--an original Chinese GPC and its Englishtranslated version--and a parallel corpus--a translated English GPC and the original English version from the US. The results of the comparable corpus analysis indicate that the frequency of modal verbs in translated English is significantly higher than in original Chinese, in which only 40% of the modal verbs in translated English are consistent with their Chinese counterparts, while others are employed through amplification and value variation. The results of the parallel corpus analysis suggest that the increase of modal verbs in the target texts may help to achieve certain types of pragmatic functions in English. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As comparative studies on lexical bundles between professional interpreters and trainees are pedagogically significant but rare, this experimental study initiates a comparison on the product and process of four-word lexical bundles in Chinese-English consecutive interpreting between these two groups. Frameworks regarding the structure and strategy of lexical bundles are established to analyze the product of lexical bundles produced by these two groups, and data including interpreters' interpreting products, notes as well as retrospection and interviews are collected to analyze their process of producing lexical bundles. The results show that the types (Type) and frequencies (Token), except diversity (TTR), of lexical bundles with the "noun and/or prepositional phrase fragments" structure and/or the "equivalence" strategy from professionals are significantly higher than those from trainees. Reasons for inter-group similarities and differences in structural and strategical distributions (product) and strategy adoption (process) are also analyzed. Based on the established interpreting-tailored lexical bundle frameworks, this comparative study presents and explains similarities and differences between professionals and trainees and implies suggestions for the training and learning of interpreting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the results of research comparing the consecutive interpreting performances of fulltime students (traditional and distance training) with the performances of part-time students (distance training). In doing so, the authors tried to determine whether the form of training (traditional vs. distance) or form of study (full-time vs. part-time) can influence interpreting performance. The evaluation of the interpreting performances' semantic component showed varying results on the examined criteria (information transferred and negative shifts). Although the traditionally trained fulltime students produced the least negative shifts, they also transferred the least information. The parttime students (distance training only) ranked second in terms of information transferred, but also produced the most negative shifts. Finally, the distance-trained full-time students transferred the most information and ranked second in terms of negative shifts. The evaluation of the interpreting performances' formal component showed several similar tendencies. The group of listeners (N = 26) assigned higher mean scores to the interpreting performances than the students (N = 15) did in their selfassessments. The listeners rated the interpreting performances of the full-time students (both the traditionally and distance-trained groups) higher than those of the part-time students (distance training only). A similarly self-critical trend was evident for the criterion of voice confidence (the exception being the traditionally trained full-time students, who perceived their voices to be slightly more convincing than their listeners indicated). Analyses of the evaluation forms showed that persuasive and confident interpreting performances contributed to higher scores. On the contrary, lower scores were attributed to a lack of fluency in interpreting performances. These findings suggest the need for and potential benefit of rhetorical exercises in interpreter training. Although the three groups compared were very small (N = 5) and the results are only illustrative, they indicate the potential benefits of blended instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the parallel translation process of 30 beginning and 30 advanced consecutive interpreting students (BISs and AISs). It investigates the characteristics and efficiency of parallel translation processing employed during the comprehension phase across proficiency levels. Quantitative and qualitative analyses reveal AISs demonstrated superior information reformulation capabilities, particularly for high-density content, along with more efficient note-taking and utilization compared to BISs. A key finding is that AISs interpreted more propositions than they recorded in their notes, reflecting stronger encoding and memory retention. In contrast, BISs relied heavily on external notation instead of internal memory retrieval, only interpreting a portion of their notes while failing to decipher the rest. These findings uncover complex yet differentiated parallel processing approaches across skill levels, with more successful comprehension-to-production strategies utilized by AISs. Enhancing students' metacognitive awareness regarding parallel processing techniques may improve information processing efficiency during source language comprehension, ultimately enhancing target language reformulation accuracy and completeness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article considers the problem of typology of errors in professional interpretating based on the analysis of approaches and their classifications. Minding the main parameters of target text assessment (the degree of preserving the main content of the original text, correctness of language units and external impression), there were identified typical mistakes, which can help the interpreter prevent future difficulties and choose the right translation strategy. Based on general scientific methods (analysis and synthesis, observing and abstracting – to substantiate the theoretical grounds to determine the quality criteria of the translated text); comparative and translation analysis methods which made possible to compare the original and target texts to identify typical translation errors, descriptive-analytical and comparative methods, according to which the material being analyzed is generalized, typical translation errors are described and analyzed to identify the ways to prevent them. Minding such important constraints in interpreting activity – one-time presentation and tough time restrictions, the interpreter needs to resolve the situation on the spot and quickly, using short-term translation strategies over the long-term strategies. While interpretating in such conditions the issues of correct grammar, normative language, style of the original text may recede into the background. The main goal of an interpreter is to achieve immediate communication. Errors in the final translation text, which has already been given to the client, can lead to negative consequences: from a fine to a loss of trust and termination of cooperation. But in addition to this important role, mistakes and their consideration in professional activities are also a great tool to improve and find the proper translation strategy. The problem of errors typology in professional interpreting is not new, but today it is considered debatable. Modern classifications of translation errors are based on the principle of equivalence and adequacy, where the error is considered the discrepancy between the original and the translation. Moreover, errors are related to the distortion of the content or violation of the rules and usage of the language of translation. Based on the analysis of approaches and classifications of translation errors, we distinguish the following ones in professional interpretating: errors of perception, understanding, expression and behavior. Perception errors can be the result of information saturation of the source text (numbers, dates, names, proper names, etc.), unusual speaker’s accent, fast speech, insufficient extralinguistic and background knowledge, incorrect distribution of resources of attention and concentration. Misunderstandings of the original text can be caused by incorrect semantics, memory problems, analysis of the original message, misunderstanding of grammatical or lexical phenomena, inaccurate understanding of the meanings of some words in the original or ignorance of the subject of the message, inefficient or insufficient preparation for translation. The current situation requires the interpreter to understand not only the superficial level of expression, but also to recognize the deep intentions of the participants in communication, to determine the general context that describes the circumstances, time, objects, and so on. Expression errors can be the result of insufficient knowledge of the target language, violation of the rules of the target language, incorrect distribution of attention in the process of decoding the translation records. Such errors can result in the loss of a number of message elements in the target language as well. Behavioral errors can be caused by anxiety, excessive anxiety, inability to overcome stress and focus on the translation process, lack of experience in public speaking, and so on. Confident interpreter should have a good idea of the translation strategy, make and justify his translation decision. The first step is to determine the specifics of the picture of the world in two languages and cultures that are directly related to a particular unit of translation and that are relevant to the translation. Then the stylistics and structural features of languages should be taken into account. The second step consists of choosing a translation strategy that corresponds to the first step. This choice is made depending on the level of the translation unit. In case when the unit of translation belongs to the level of phrases, words and morphemes, transformations of concretization or generalization are used. The third step (tactics) involves the establishment of formal grammatical and structural relationships based on general logical operations: omission / addition, replacement / substitutions of semantic (and formal) components. ISSN 2523-4463 (print) ВІСНИК УНІВЕРСИТЕТУ ІМЕНІ АЛЬФРЕДА НОБЕЛЯ. ISSN 2523-4749 (online) Серія «ФІЛОЛОГІЧНІ НАУКИ». 2021. № 2 (22) It is established that the success of each situation of professional interpretating activity depends directly on the ability of an interpreter to choose the right translation decision, as a result of which the native speaker of the target language will react to the proposed text in such a way, which corresponds to the sender of the original text.