Target. International Journal of Translation Studies - Volume 37, Issue 2, 2025

Abstract

In this article, we consider influential theories and models of simultaneous interpreting through the prism of current theories and findings in psycholinguistics. We review evidence suggesting that meaning is routinely accessed during comprehension, and, on this basis, suggest that it is unlikely that interpreters produce translation equivalents without accessing meaning. We also reflect on data showing cross-linguistic activation in two-language settings, and suggest that such cross-linguistic activation regularly takes place in simultaneous interpreting, without interfering with the processing of meaning. Finally, we consider the role of prediction in simultaneous interpreting. Evidence suggests that prediction regularly takes place during simultaneous interpreting and may facilitate the interpreting process. On the basis of this theoretical analysis, we consider that simultaneous interpreting involves a synergy, rather than just an overlap, of comprehension and production. We outline the pedagogical implications of our conclusions, and explain why viewing simultaneous interpreting from this new perspective may open up directions for future research.

Abstract

This study investigates the underexplored aspect of how interpreters detect and repair speech errors, focusing on various linguistic levels. We examined how error repairs are influenced by individual differences in language proficiency, working memory, and anxiety levels among student interpreters. Our findings demonstrate that while interpreters effectively detected and repaired lexical, syntactic, and phonological errors, they struggled with conceptual errors. Error detection and repair improved with an increase in the interpreter’s working memory span, whereas heightened anxiety impeded the repair of conceptual errors. Interpreters with superior working memory were more successful in correctly repairing conceptual errors and indeed speech errors in general, and those with better language proficiency also showed more success in error repair. The results highlight the pivotal role of working memory and the influence of language proficiency and anxiety on error correction in interpreting, emphasizing the significance of source language comprehension in avoiding conceptual errors.

Abstract

Reception-oriented research on health communication, especially when focusing on migrant populations, allows for an exploration of what it means to provide access to health information, shedding light on migrants’ communicative needs with practical implications for translators’ work. Adopting a multi-method approach, this study explores the potential for reading difficulty and for misinterpretation of translated vaccination-related public health information. For this purpose, we conducted a reception-oriented study that used a participant-paced, region-by-region reading method coupled with an incremental stops-making-sense judgment task and a post-hoc comprehension questionnaire with two participant groups (native and non-native English speakers). Three main findings stand out from our analysis. First, the triangulation of multiple data sources indicates that reading difficulty and misinterpretation were not exclusive to the non-native group but affected both participant groups. Second, while participants generally responded correctly to comprehension questions, average reading times showed that both groups took longer to read most texts than expected. Third, medical language was the most challenging aspect for our participants, as indicated by data from online and offline subjective measures.

Abstract

This article investigates interlingual respeaking (IRSP) as a hybrid practice involving direct interaction between a language professional and speech recognition software to produce live subtitles. This technique combines language transfer with the diamesic shift of subtitling, the immediacy factor of interpreting, and direct interaction with AI-driven technology. It is, therefore, a prime example of Multilectal Mediated Communication which requires language professionals to adapt the procedural skills acquired through training and professional experience in related fields. The article reports on an empirical study that explores cognitive abilities and interpersonal traits as underexamined but critical elements of competence in IRSP, guided by Hambrick et al.’s (2018) multifactorial model of expertise. A mixed-methods exploratory design was used to investigate factors influencing IRSP performance. Fifty-one language professionals participated in a twenty-five-hour upskilling course, completing pre- and post-experiment surveys as well as a battery of cognitive tasks and interpersonal skills scales. Multiple regression analyses were used to investigate predictors of IRSP accuracy and errors. Our study found that, among cognitive variables, complex working memory predicts accuracy. Additionally, different working memory resources were found to be involved in different error categories. In relation to interpersonal traits, integrated regulation (a measure of motivation) and conscientiousness were found to negatively predict accuracy. The study highlights the interplay between human cognitive and interpersonal variables in IRSP as a complex form of human-AI interaction, establishing a baseline for future research and advancing methodological approaches and training frameworks for language professionals working in AI-assisted environments.

Abstract

Traditionally, Cognitive Translation and Interpreting Studies (CTIS) scholars have approached Multilectal Mediated Communication (MMC) tasks separately, partly due to methodological reasons, partly due to the tendency, identified by Blumczynski and Hassani (2019) in the wider field of Translation Studies (TS), to conceptualize language mediation according to discrete, absolute categories, often opposed in dichotomies (interpreting/translation, source text/target text, oral/written). However, actual instances of MMC are complex and entail many dimensions that frequently overlap across tasks and relate to each other in multifarious ways (Marais 2014). While dichotomous epistemologies favor the isolation of tasks and limit the scope of application of methods and constructs, complexity epistemologies cater for the diversity of linguistic, social, and environmental variables, and their impact on each other (Marín 2023). Such an epistemic stance allows us to identify theoretical synergies, developing constructs and models to empirically investigate different aspects of tasks both individually and in relation to each other to inform a general cognitive theory of MMC. In this article, I revisit the translation task model (Marín 2021) as a construct that could be instrumental to describe mediators’ interaction with the task from an extended perspective. In order to do so, the notion of ‘constraint’ is introduced and further explained according to Baggs and Chemero’s distinction between habitat and umwelt (2018). I argue that empirical data can be described according to these categories and, in turn, the resulting descriptions applied to the development of a general theory of MMC.

This article reviews Translation, Interpreting and Technological Change: Innovations in Research, Practice and Training

This article reviews Translation and Mysticism: The Rose and the Wherefore

This article reviews Translating Russian Literature in the Global Context