Article published in:
Translation and Interpreting Pedagogy in Dialogue with Other Disciplines
Edited by Sonia Colina and Claudia V. Angelelli
[Benjamins Current Topics 90] 2017
► pp. 103–127

L2 proficiency as predictor of aptitude for interpreting

An empirical study

This study reports findings from an experiment that was conducted to investigate language proficiency as an indicator of future interpreting performance. The initial assumption was that Spanish undergraduate translation and interpreting students had an insufficient command of L2 skills to start interpreter training. We hypothesized that an intensive teaching module on L2 phonology and listening comprehension would improve their academic performance in interpreting. Several tests were used to evaluate participant L2 listening comprehension (TOEFL), L2 reading comprehension (TOEFL), L2 grammar (TOEFL), and L1 verbal fluency (WAIS-III). Only those related to L2 are reported here. A consecutive interpreting test was given at the end of the first interpretation module. The students’ self-perception regarding L2 issues was assessed using two questionnaires and an interview. The results suggest that L2 listening comprehension training aided in consecutive interpreting performance. Language proficiency was also found to correlate with interpreting scores. A base level of L2 proficiency for interpreting training is suggested. We conclude that L2 listening comprehension proficiency has a significant effect on undergraduate students’ interpreting ability and is therefore a suitable predictor for interpreting aptitude. Consequently, L2 listening skills should be included in the interpreting program curriculum, preferably before interpretation classes start.
Keywords: action research, aptitude, consecutive interpreting, interpreter education, L2 listening comprehension, L2 proficiency
Published online: 30 June 2017
https://doi.org/10.1075/bct.90.06bla
References
Angelelli, Claudia
2012 “De proficiencia lingüística para la comunicación a proficiencia lingüística para el trabajo profesional: El caso de estudiantes de postgrado en español, francés e inglés. Lecciones aprendidas” [From linguistic proficiency for communication to linguistic proficiency for professional work: The case of post-graduate students in Spanish, French, and English. Lessons Learned]. Workshop at Project Niveles de lengua según el MCERL y excelencia en las asignaturas de lenguas extranjeras del Grado en Traducción e Interpretación . Universitat Jaume I, Castellón de la Plana, Spain.
2011 “Expanding the Abilities of Bilingual Youngsters: Can Translation and Interpreting help?” In Interpreting Naturally. A Tribute to Brian Harris, ed. by María Jesús Blasco Mayor, and Amparo Jiménez Ivars, 103–123. Bern: Peter Lang.Google Scholar
2008 “Longitudinal Studies and the Development of Assessment for Advanced Competencies.” In The Longitudinal Study of L2 Advanced Capacities, ed. by Lourdes Ortega, and Heidi Byrnes, 264–278. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
2007 “Accommodating the Need for Medical Interpreters: The California Endowment Interpreter Testing Project.” The Translator 13 (1): 63–82. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Angelelli, Claudia, and Christian Degueldre
2002 “Bridging the Gap between Language for General Purposes and Language for Work: An Intensive Superior-level Language/skill Course for Teachers, Translators, and Interpreters.” In Developing Professional-level Language Proficiency, ed. by Betty L. Leaver, and Boris Shekhtman, 77–96. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Bajo, María T., Francisca Padilla, and Presentación Padilla
2000 “Comprehension Processes in Simultaneous Interpreting.” In Translation in Context, ed. by Andrew Chesterman, Natividad Gallardo San Salvador, and Yves Gambier, 127–142. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Bartolotti, James, and Viorica Marian
2012 “Language Learning and Control in Monolinguals and Bilinguals.” Cognitive Science 36 (6): 1129–1147. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Blasco Mayor, María Jesús
2007a La comprensión oral en el desarrollo de la pericia de la interpretación de conferencias [Oral comprehension in the development of expertise in conference interpreting]. Granada: Comares.Google Scholar
2007b “Language Labs and Beyond: Enhancing L2 Automatization in Interpreter Training.” Proceedings of the 1st International Technology, Education and Development Conference , Valencia, Spain.
Blumenfeld, Henrike K., and Viorica Marian
2011 “Bilingualism Influences Inhibitory Control in Auditory Comprehension.” Cognition 118: 245–257. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
2007 “Constraints on Parallel Activation in Bilingual Spoken Language Processing: Examining Proficiency and Lexical Status Using Eye-tracking.” Language and Cognitive Processes 22 (5): 633–660. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Borrero, Noah
2006 Bilingual Adolescents as Young Interpreters in Middle School: Impact on Ethnic Identity and Academic Achievement. Ph.D. Dissertation. Retrieved from ProQuest® Dissertations and Theses Database. (UMI No. 3235188)
Brown, Gillian, and George Yule
1983 Teaching the Spoken Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Chan, Raymond C.K., David Shum, Timothea Toulopoulou, and Eric Y.H. Chen
2007 “Assessment of Executive Functions: Review of Instruments and Identification of Critical Issues.” Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology 23 (2): 201–216. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Christoffels, Ingrid K., Annette M.B. de Groot, and Judith F. Kroll
2006 “Memory and Language Skills in Simultaneous Interpreters: The Role of Expertise and Language Proficiency.” Journal of Memory and Language 54: 324–345. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Christoffels, Ingrid K., Annette M.B. de Groot, and Lourens J. Waldorp
2003 “Basic Skills in a Complex Task: A Graphical Model Relating Lexical Retrieval, Working Memory and Simultaneous Interpreting.” Bilingualism: Language and Cognition 6 (3): 201–211. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, Louis, and Lawrence Manion
1990 Métodos de investigación educativa. Madrid: La muralla.Google Scholar
Colás Bravo, María P., and Leonor B. Eisman
1998 Investigación educativa. Sevilla: Alfar.Google Scholar
Conway, Andrew R.A., et al.
2002 “A Latent Variable Analysis of Working Memory Capacity, Short-term Memory Capacity, Processing Speed and General Fluid Intelligence.” Intelligence 30 (2): 163–183. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Cutler, Anne
2000/01 “Listening to a Second Language through the Ears of a First.” Interpreting 5: 1–18. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
de Groot, Annette M.B
2000 “A Complex-skill Approach to Translation and Interpreting.” In Tapping and Mapping the Processes of Translation and Interpreting, ed. by Sonja Tirkkonen-Condit, and Riitta Jäskeläinen, 53–68. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
DeKeyser, Robert M
2001 “Automaticity and Automatization.” In Cognition and Second Language Instruction, ed. by Peter Robinson, 125–151. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Dewey, John
1929/1984 “The Sources of a Science of Education.” In John Dewey: The later works, 1925–1953, Vol. 5. 1929–1930, ed. by Jo Ann Boydston, 1–40. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press.Google Scholar
Donovan, Clare
2006 “Conference Interpreter Training — Constraints and Responses.” Forum 4 (1): 1–22. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Ellis, Nick C
2001 “Memory for Language.” In Cognition and Second Language Instruction, ed. by Peter Robinson, 33–68. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Flowerdew, John
1994 Academic Listening: Research Perspectives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Frauenfelder, Ulrich, and Herbert Schriefers
1997 “A Psycholinguistic Perspective on Simultaneous Interpretation.” Interpreting 2 (1/2): 55–90. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Gile, Daniel
1995 Basic Concepts and Models for Interpreter and Translator Training. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
2005 “Teaching Conference Interpreting: A Contribution.” In Training for the New millennium: Pedagogies for Translation and Interpreting, ed. by Martha Tennent, 127–151. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Harris, Brian, and Bianca Sherwood
1978 “Translating as an Innate Skill.” In Language Interpretation and Communication, ed. by David Gerver, and H. Wallace Sinaiko, 155–170. New York: Plenum Press. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Hervais-Adelman, Alexis G., Barbara Moser-Mercer, and Narly Golestani
2011 “Executive Control of Language in the Bilingual Brain: Integrating the Evidence from Neuroimaging to Neuropsychology.” Frontiers in Psychology 2 (234): 1–8. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Hinkel, Eli
1998 TOEFL Strategies. Hauppauge: Barron’s Educational Series.Google Scholar
Hewings, Martin
1993 Pronunciation Tasks: A Course for Pre–intermediate Learners. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Hualde, José Ignacio
2005 The Sounds of Spanish. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Humphrey, Janice, and Bob Alcorn
2001 So You Want to be an Interpreter: An Introduction to Sign Language Interpreting (3rd ed.). Amarillo: H&H Publishers.Google Scholar
Liu, Minhua, Diane L. Shallert, and Patrick J. Carroll
2004 “Working Memory and Expertise in Simultaneous Interpreting.” Interpreting 6 (1): 19–42. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Mackintosh, Jennifer
1999 “Interpreters are Made not Born.” Interpreting 4 (1): 67–80.Google Scholar
McWhinney, Brian
2001 “The Competition Model: The Input, the Context, and the Brain.” In Cognition and Second Language Instruction, ed. by Peter Robinson, 69–90. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Melton, Arthur W
1963 “Implications of Short-term Memory for a General Theory of Memory.” Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior 2: 1–21. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Moser-Mercer, Barbara, Sylvie Lambert, Valeria Daró, and Sarah Williams
1997 “Skill Components in Simultaneous Interpreting.” In Conference Interpreting: Current Trends in Research, ed. by Yves Gambier, Daniel Gile, and Christopher Taylor, 133–148. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Muñoz Martín, Ricardo
2011 “ Nomen mihi Legio est — a Cognitive Approach to Natural Translation.” In Interpreting Naturally. A Tribute to Brian Harris, ed. by María Jesús Blasco Mayor, and Amparo Jiménez Ivars, 35–67. Bern: Peter Lang.Google Scholar
2007 “Prólogo” [Foreword]. In La comprensión oral en el desarrollo de la pericia en interpretación de conferencias, ed. by María Jesús Blasco Mayor, XI–XVII. Granada: Comares.Google Scholar
Navarro Tomás, Tomás
1977 Manual de pronunciación española [Manual of Spanish pronunciation]. Madrid: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas.Google Scholar
Norman, Donald. A., and Tim Shallice
2000 “Attention to Action: Willed and Automatic Control of Behavior.” In Cognitive Neuroscience: A Reader, ed. by Michael S. Gazzaniga, 376–390. Oxford: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Padilla, Presentación, Pedro Macizo, and María Teresa Bajo
2007 Tareas de traducción e interpretación desde una perspectiva cognitiva: Una propuesta integradora. Granada: Atrio.Google Scholar
Pavón Vázquez, Víctor, and Angel J. Rosado García
2003 Guía de fonética y fonología para estudiantes de filología inglesa: En el umbral del siglo XXI [Manual of phonetics and phonology for English philology students: In the 21st century]. Granada: Comares.Google Scholar
Pérez Basanta, Carmen
2000a “Cognitive Processes in L2 Listening: Implications for Teaching and Learning.” In Panorama actual de la lingüística aplicada: Conocimiento, procesamiento y uso del lenguaje, ed. by Francisco J. Ruiz de Mendoza, 1811–20. Logroño: Universidad de La Rioja.Google Scholar
2000b “Integrating Theory and Practice in the Design and Exploitation of ESL Listening Activities in the Classroom.” In Panorama actual de la lingüística aplicada: Conocimiento, procesamiento y uso del lenguaje, ed. by Francisco J. Ruiz de Mendoza, 1613–22. Logroño: Universidad de La Rioja.Google Scholar
Purdy, Michael
1996 “What is Listening.” In Listening in Everyday Life. A Personal and Professional Approach, ed. by Michael Purdy, and Deborah Borisoff, 1–20. Maryland: University Press of America.Google Scholar
Quilis, Antonio
1993 Tratado de fonología y fonética españolas [Treatise on Spanish phonetics and phonology]. Madrid: Gredos.Google Scholar
Schmidt, Richard
2001 “Attention.” In Cognition and Second Language Instruction, ed. by Peter Robinson, 3–32. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
1992 “Psychological Mechanisms Underlying Second Language Fluency.” Studies in Second Language Acquisition 14: 357–385. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Seleskovitch, Danica
1999 “The Teaching of Conference Interpretation in the Course of the Last 50 Years.” Interpreting 4 (1): 55–66.Google Scholar
Seleskovitch, Danica and Marianne Lederer
1989 Pédagogie raisonnée de l’inteprétation. Luxembourg: Didier Érudition.Google Scholar
Shaw, Sherry, Nadja Grbic, and Kathy Franklin
2004 “Applying Language Skills to Interpretation. Student Perspectives from Signed and Spoken Language Programs.” Interpreting 6 (1): 69–100. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Takeda, Kayoko
2010 “What Interpreting Teachers can Learn from Students: A Case Study.” The International Journal for Translation & Interpreting Research 2 (1): 38–47.Google Scholar
Thiery, Christopher
1975 Le bilinguisme chez les interpretes de conference professionnels. Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation. Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle (Paris III).
Valdés, Guadalupe, and Claudia Angelelli
2003 “Interpreters, Interpreting and the Study of Bilingualism.” Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 23: 58–78. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Valdés, Guadalupe, Cristina Chavez, and Claudia Angelelli
2000 “Bilingualism from Another Perspective: The Case of Young Interpreters from Immigrant Communities.” In Research on Spanish in the United States. Linguistic Issues and Challenges, ed. by Ana Roca, 42–81. Somerville: Cascadilla Press.Google Scholar
Valdés, Guadalupe, Cristina Chavez, Claudia Angelelli, Kerry Enright, Daria Garcia, and Marisela Gonzalez
2003 “The Performance of the Young Interpreters on the Scripted Task.” In Expanding Definitions of Giftedness. The Case of Young Interpreters from Immigrant Communities, ed. by Guadalupe Valdes, 119–164. New Jersey: Lawrence Earlbaum.Google Scholar
Williams, Sarah
1995 “Research on Bilingualism and its Relevance for Interpreting.” Hermes, Journal of Linguistics 15: 143–154.Google Scholar
1994 “The Application of SLA Research to Interpreting.” Perspectives: Studies in Translatology 1: 19–28. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Wolvin, Andrew D
2010 Listening and Human Communication in the 21st century. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Zannirato, Alessandro
2008 “Teaching Interpreting and Interpreting Teaching: A Conference Interpreter’s Overview of Second Language Acquisition.” In Translator and Interpreter Training: Issues, Methods and Debates, ed. by John Kearns, 19–38. London: Continuum.Google Scholar
Cited by

Cited by 1 other publications

Crezee, Ineke H.M., Johanna Hautekiet & Lidia Rura
2021.  In Introduction to Healthcare for Russian-speaking Interpreters and Translators, Crossref logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 31 march 2022. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.