This paper reports on an experimental study analysing the impact of SOV on
simultaneous interpreting fromD and NL into Italian and the language-specific
strategies adopted by 15 professional interpreters to tackle SOV-related difficulties.
Despite the typological affinity between the two Germanic final-verb languages,
the greater rigidity of the SOV structure in German appears to require more
extensive anticipation efforts aswell as a longer ear-voice span. Dutch is less rigid
and characterised by systematic violations of the SOV order through the
extraposition of a constituent. The load on short-term memory is, thus, less
onerous which justifies a shorter ear-voice span and occasionally a blander
approach to reformulation than is the case fromGerman.
