Attention span in simultaneous interpreting

Abstract

Simultaneous interpreting was more than once labeled as one of the most requiring jobs there is. In our study we hypothesize that simultaneous interpreters would have a larger attention span than a control group performing a similar demanding task. Simultaneous interpreters (N=7) and the control group (N=17) were instructed to shadow the speaker in a video sequence where he was giving a speech surrounded by 20 different objects, to press a button when looking into the camera and to press another button when the speaker pronounced proper names creating a situation of significant cognitive load similar to one experienced by simultaneous interpreters. Both groups were later presented with a recall test (20 target stimuli, 40 distractors) and comprehension questions. We did not find any difference in recall test performance between the groups (U Mann-Whitney, p=0,13), but interestingly interpreters were worse at identifying distractors than the control group (mixed-effects linear model, p=0,042) and better at identifying target stimuli (p=0,054, Task type Х Picture type interaction, p=0.03). Moreover, both groups were making more mistakes in target stimuli identification compared to distractors (p<0.001). The results could be an indication that interpreter perception filters are tilted towards accumulating more incoming information than those of a person without simultaneous interpreting training.