Are simultaneous interpreters expert bilinguals, unique bilinguals, or both?
-
LAURA BABCOCK [1] ; ANTONINO VALLESI [1]
-
[1] University of Padova
-
- Localización: Bilingualism: Language and cognition, ISSN 1366-7289, Vol. 20, Nº 2, 2017 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Cross-linguistic Priming in Bilinguals: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Language Processing, Acquisition and Change), págs. 403-417
- Idioma: inglés
- Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
-
Resumen
Simultaneous interpretation is a cognitively demanding process that requires a high level of language management. Previous studies on bilinguals have suggested that extensive practice managing two languages leads to enhancements in cognitive control. Thus, interpreters may be expected to show benefits beyond those seen in bilinguals, either as an extension of previously-seen benefits or in areas specific to interpretation. The present study examined professional interpreters (N = 23) and matched multilinguals (N = 21) on memory tests, the color-word Stroop task, the Attention Network Test, and a non-linguistic task-switching paradigm. The interpreters did not show advantages in conflict resolution or switching cost where bilingual benefits have been noted. However, an interpretation-specific advantage emerged on the mixing cost in the task-switching paradigm. Additionally, the interpreters had larger verbal and spatial memory spans. Interpreters do not continue to garner benefits from bilingualism, but they do appear to possess benefits specific to their experience with simultaneous interpretation.
