Simultaneous interpreting (with text): impact of condition, speech difficulty, speech rate and visual attention on young professional interpreters’ performance

In simultaneous interpreting (SI) with text (SIMTXT), interpreters receive input through auditory (via the speaker) and visual (via the transcript of the speech) channels, rendering the activity multimodal. Whereas some researchers indicate that transcript use may facilitate performance, others claim it may add a layer of complexity to the intricate cognitive processes involved in SI. To fill this research gap, we conducted a quasi-experimental within-subject design study involving 12 English-Dutch junior interpreters to investigate the impact on performance of the condition (SI versus SIMTXT), the speech difficulty, the speech rate and the visual attention allocation to the transcript. The study combined data from eye-tracking glasses (visual attention) and audio recordings (performance). Performance was measured via two methods: Overall Quality Indicator and Problem Trigger Accuracy Rate. Results from a Linear Mixed Model analysis show that interpreting performance was superior in the SIMTXT condition. In addition, high speech rate and speech difficulty negatively affected performance in both conditions, with the extent of the effect depending on the method of measurement. Finally, in SIMTXT, a positive – be it limited – effect of visual attention to the transcript on performance was established, although a great variability was observed between the participants.