Exploring Problem Sources of Disfluency in Second Language Production in Consecutive Interpreting

Presentation by Yao Zhang, PhD student.

The event is organised together with the research platform Norm, Variation og Sprogforandring

Abstract

Over the recent decades, interpreting has played an increasingly important role in many cross-cultural contexts, in which the quality of the interpreting performance becomes the key to communication success. However, the quality can be degraded by many factors, including disfluency one of the top factors. In this study, I explore the interpreters’ cognitive process to identify their problem sources that cause disfluent utterances in the second language production in the context of consecutive interpreting by drawing on the theoretical framework for speech production (Levelt, 1995), problem sources in language production (Dörnyei and Scott, 1997), and disfluency as a surface marker and representation of problems in language production (Bosker et al., 2012; Clark, 2006; de Jong, 2017). In addition to identifying the problem sources for disfluency in interpreting performances, I hope my study will inspire strategies for training and teaching in interpreting and provide a reference for interpreters’ qualification assessment.

Keywords

Consecutive interpreting, problem sources, dysfluency, language production, quality assessment, psycholinguistics

Bibliography

Bosker, H. R., Pinget, A. F., Quene, H., Sanders, T., & de Jong, N. H. (2012). What makes speech sound fluent? The contributions of pauses, speed and repairs. Language Testing, 30, 159–175.

Clark, H. H. (2006). Pauses and hesitations: Psycholinguistic approach. In K. Brown (Ed.), Encyclopedia of language and linguistics (Vol. V, pp. 284–288). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Elsevier.

de Jong, N. H. (2017). Fluency in second language assessment. In Tsagari, D. & Banerjee, J. (Eds.), Handbook of Second Language Assessment. (pp. 203-218). Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton.

Dörnyei, Z., & Scott, M. L. (1997). Communication strategies in a second language: Definitions and taxonomies. Language Learning, 47, 173-210.

Kellett Bidoli, C. J. (2000). Quality assessment in conference interpreting: an overview.

Kurz, I. (2001). Conference interpreting: Quality in the ears of the user. Meta: journal des traducteurs/Meta: Translators' Journal46(2), 394-409.

Levelt, W. J. M. (1995). The ability to speak: From intentions to spoken words. European Review, 3, 13–23.

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