Chou Isabelle, Liu Kanglong, Zhao Nan
School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Front Psychol. 2021 Nov 26;12:781610. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.781610. eCollection 2021.
Interpreters can either interpret from the first language (L1) to the second language (L), or in the other direction. Understanding translation and interpreting as a direction-dependent process contributes to a wider and more critical view regarding the role of both languages in the process, as well as the identity, perspectives, and preferences of translators. The effect of directionality primarily weighs on stimulus and individual factors. This study explores the impact of directionality on the performance of trainee interpreters by examining four critical aspects of quality in target speeches, namely: speech rate, information completeness, delivery, and quality of expression. We observed an advantage for L2-L1 over L1-L2 interpreting in the form of interpreting quality (i.e., delivery and quality of expression) but not in content (i.e., the level of information retained in the target language). These effects of interpreting directionality suggest an important role of L2 proficiency in interpreting. Moreover, L1-L2 interpreting is cognitively demanding compared to L2-L1 interpreting for trainee interpreters. This research sheds light on the cognitive mechanisms of interpreting in different directions and provides pedagogical recommendations for training interpreters.
口译员既可以从母语（L1）口译到第二语言（L），也可以朝相反方向进行口译。将笔译和口译理解为一个依赖方向的过程，有助于更全面、更批判性地看待两种语言在这个过程中的作用，以及译者的身份、观点和偏好。方向性的影响主要体现在刺激因素和个体因素上。本研究通过考察目标语演讲质量的四个关键方面，即语速、信息完整性、表达和表达质量，探讨方向性对实习口译员表现的影响。我们观察到，在口译质量（即表达和表达质量）方面，从L2到L1的口译比从L1到L2的口译更具优势，但在内容方面（即目标语中保留的信息水平）并非如此。口译方向性的这些影响表明L2熟练程度在口译中起着重要作用。此外，对于实习口译员来说，与从L2到L1的口译相比，从L1到L2的口译在认知上要求更高。这项研究揭示了不同方向口译的认知机制，并为口译员培训提供了教学建议。
