The effects of training on reading behaviour and performance in sight translation: a longitudinal study using eye-tracking

ABSTRACT

This longitudinal study focuses on the impact of training on trainee interpreters’ reading behaviour and performance during sight translation (ST) when dealing with texts of different syntactic complexities, compared to a control group. Participants sight translated four texts, two semesters apart, while their eye movements were captured. Mixed-effects modelling was used to investigate how the independent variables of Complexity, Test Time and Group affect reading behaviour and the ST performance. The findings show that while two semesters of training had limited impact on the reading behaviour of the experimental group, their ST performance improved significantly. It was also found that the effect of training on reading behaviour is mediated by skill level, with greater effects for participants of around or below average performance level.

KEYWORDS:

• Sight translation
• training effects
• reading behaviour
• eye-tracking
• longitudinal study

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 https://www.naati.com.au/certification/certification-testing/certified-interpreter/#

2 Glances are defined as each time a fixation hits the AOI if not hit before.

3 Details of the NAATI assessment criteria for ST can be found at: https://www.naati.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Certified-Interpreter-Assessment-Rubrics.pdf.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Chitra Fernando Fellowships Award granted by the Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University.

Notes on contributors

Jing Fang

Dr Jing Fang is a lecturer in the Translation and Interpreting Program at Macquarie University. Her current research interests include systemic functional linguistics, corpus linguistics and sight translation research.

Xiaomin Zhang

Xiaomin Zhang is a PhD candidate at Macquarie University. Her research area includes translation of children's literature, corpus linguistics and translation process research.

Haidee Kotze

Haidee Kotze is Professor and Chair of Translation Studies in the Department of Languages, Literature and Communication at Utrecht University, and holds an appointment as Extraordinary Professor at the North-West University in South Africa. Her research focuses on language contact, language variation, and language change, with a particular emphasis on translation. She is the co-editor of Target: International Journal of Translation Studies, and co-editor of the series Translation, Interpreting and Transfer (Leuven University Press).