The Impact of consecutive interpreting on simultaneous interpreting

An empirical study

Abstract

Some differences are evident in the sequence and intensity of consecutive (CI) and simultaneous interpreting (SI) training across various institutions. Usually, CI training precedes SI training; more sporadically, their training occurs in parallel. The literature includes the views of theorists and practitioners who advocate CI training before SI, pointing out CI’s potential benefits for SI. At the same time, however, they emphasize that we do not have enough data to confirm these suppositions.

The present paper attempts to establish the correlation between CI and SI training, specifically the potential positive impact of CI on SI. The research was conducted on a sample of T&I master's students (N = 10) using several instruments – an online questionnaire, recordings of CI and SI, listeners' ratings of interpreting performance, and ratings of formal deficiencies. The results confirmed that, according to the listeners' evaluations, not only CI, but also SI performances improved over the semester. The different rates of progress in CI and SI were likely related to the CI-targeted training. The positive effect of CI on SI was also evident in the reduction of some formal deficiencies (hesitations, redundant sounds (e.g. lip smacking), and unfinished sentences). The increased frequency of some formal deficiencies (vowel/consonant lengthening, corrections, and repetitions) may be attributed to the lexical saturation of the last CI recording, the poor performance of one student, a lack of self-control, or the differences between CI and SI. The results obtained do not have general validity as the research sample was small, which could have contributed to possible distortions. Nevertheless, the findings indicate that targeted CI training can, among other things, contribute to improvement in SI skills.