Speech rate is a temporal feature of speech quantified by means of speaking rate and articulation rate. In Interpreting Studies, speech rate, more often referred to as input rate, presentation rate or input speed, has been examined in relation to simultaneous interpreting because of the impact of a fast or slow speech rate on the interpreter’s delivery of the target speech from the source speech and, therefore, on the quality of output. An overview of studies on speech rate in simultaneous interpreting is presented given the paramount importance of speech rate for understanding to what extent an interpreter can cope with a fast input rate, as a high speed rate, typically encountered in combination with read texts, has been reported as one of the main stress-inducing factors in survey on occupational stress in interpreting.
