The Intense Bilingual Experience of Interpreting and Its Neurocognitive Consequences

Dong, Yanping; Zhong, Fei

doi:10.1002/9781119387725.ch33

Cited by 15 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Many studies have investigated the issue of an interpreter advantage in WM spans. While most of them supported an interpreter advantage in one way or another, the specific findings are not always consistent across the studies (see Dong & Zhong, 2019, for a review). For example, Padilla, Bajo, Canas, and Padilla (1995) found an interpreter advantage in the WM tasks of reading span and free recall with articulatory suppression (i.e., a task in which participants repeat the same syllable such as “bla” while reading and remembering lists of words visually presented).…”

Section: Language Control In Interpretingmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Liu, Schallert, and Carroll (2004) also failed to find an interpreter advantage in listening span. In a comprehensive review Dong and Zhong (2019) concluded that the mixed findings are mainly due to three factors: (1) participant groups were not matched in age (e.g., Köpke & Nespoulous, 2006) or in L2 proficiency (e.g., Tzou, Eslami, Chen & Vaid, 2012); (2) participant sample sizes were often too small (e.g., 11 in Liu et al, 2004; 12 in Chincotta & Underwood, 1998); (3) there was not enough training to lead to sufficient interpreting experiences (Dong et al, 2018). Future studies should pay more attention to research design, particularly as regards participants’ age, language proficiency (and language learning history), sample size, and the use of a control group in longitudinal studies.…”

Section: Language Control In Interpretingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Attentional control in interpreting: A model of language control and processing control

Dong

2019

Bilingualism

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Interpreting is a complex bilingual task, placing high demands on both language control (i.e., source language not interfering in target language production) and processing control (i.e., multi-tasking carried out in concert under time pressure). On the basis of empirical evidence in the literature, we propose an attentional control model to account for both language control and processing control. Specifically, language control in interpreting is achieved by a structural framework of language-modality connections (established in interpreting training and stored as task schema), and by focused attention that helps build, strengthen and adapt the framework through monitoring, target enhancement, task disengagement, shifting, and working memory. In contrast, processing control in interpreting is achieved by divided attention via coordination and working memory, and by language processing efficiency that includes mastery of both languages and the appropriate use of interpreting strategies. Implications of this model for general bilingual language control are discussed.

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Section: Language Control In Interpretingmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Language Control In Interpretingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attentional control in interpreting: A model of language control and processing control

Dong

2019

Bilingualism

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“…Second, the change of relationship between interpreting competence and other potentially related cognitive factors, such as interpreting anxiety, motivation and executive functions, awaits to be investigated. Recent studies showed that interpreting experiences may produce cognitive advantages in executive functions such as monitoring, switching and updating (see Dong & Zhong, 2019;García, Muñoz & Kogan, 2020 for reviews), suggesting that these functions may be related to interpreting tasks (see Dong & Li, 2020 for theoretical assumptions). Future longitudinal studies adopting structural equation modelling may help unveil the full picture of the relationship between interpreting competence and these cognitive factors, as well as potential changes of the relationship over time.…”

Section: Implications and Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Emergence of a Complex Language Skill: Evidence from the Self-organization of Interpreting Competence in Interpreting Students

Dong

2021

Bilingualism

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Research on the development of interpreting competence could be a window to the issue of how L2 learners develop complex language skills. The present study conducted a longitudinal experiment with beginning interpreting students, exploring the change of relationship between consecutive interpreting (CI) competence and two related capacities (i.e., language competence and memory capacity). Two major results were revealed. First, in general, more language skills and working memory (WM) spans got correlated with CI performance at the later stage of CI training. Second, a fit structural equation model of CI competence could only be reported in the post-test. We may therefore conclude that the development of interpreting competence is at least partly a result of the self-organization of the interpreting competence system, in which relevant components get mobilized, and a better coordinated structure emerges. Implications for the development of complex language skills and for the concept of self-organization are discussed.

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“…Second the present study classifies data on tasks for Updating, Shifting or Inhibition based on the "unity and diversity" model of Miyake et al (2000). Each task is categorized as verbal, number, letter or (visual-) spatial (Dong and Zhong, 2019). Tasks measuring each EF are collected and presented in Table 1.…”

Section: Data Collection Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

The interpreter advantage in executive functions—A systematic review and meta-analysis

Fan

2021

FLS

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Given the heavy cognitive load inherent in language interpreting, interpreters may develop cognitive advantages from managing frequent switching of linguistic codes and working modes. Based on a systematic review of executive functions of inhibiting, shifting and working memory (WM) updating by Nour et al. (2020) and meta-analysis of working memory by Wen and Dong (2019) and Mellinger and Hanson (2019), this research follows the PICOS framework and the PRISMA guideline to synthesize findings from 98 tasks of 29 original studies from International and Chinese databases with a cut-off date of 1st October, 2020. Substantial evidence for an interpreter advantage in shifting was found, but not for inhibition or updating. The meta-analysis showed 1) a moderate to high effect in shifting (g = 0.68, seven WCST effects; g = -0.32, eight switching cost effects); 2) no effect in inhibiting (g = 0.13, six Stroop effects); 3) mixed effects in WM updating. Subgroup analysis on WM updating revealed significant training effects from within-group comparisons (g = 0.58, five 2-back effects; g = 0.71, two L2 listening span effects), but insignificant difference from between-group comparisons (g = -0.03 , five 2-back effects; g = 0.18, five L2 listening span effects ). More reproducible behavioral research with scientific and consistent designs is needed for a clearer understanding of the relationship between interpreting experience and EFs.

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The Intense Bilingual Experience of Interpreting and Its Neurocognitive Consequences

Cited by 15 publications

References 46 publications

Attentional control in interpreting: A model of language control and processing control

Attentional control in interpreting: A model of language control and processing control

The Emergence of a Complex Language Skill: Evidence from the Self-organization of Interpreting Competence in Interpreting Students

The interpreter advantage in executive functions—A systematic review and meta-analysis

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