Abstract
Recent neuroimaging research has suggested that interpreters and non-interpreters elicit different brain activation patterns during simultaneous language translation. However, whether these two groups have different functional connectivity during such a task, and how the neural coupling is among brain subregions, are still not well understood. In this study, we recruited Mandarin (L1)/English (L2) interpreters and non-interpreter bilinguals, whom we asked to perform simultaneous language translation and reading tasks. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to collect cortical brain data for participants during each task, using 68 channels that covered the prefrontal cortex and the bilateral perisylvian regions. Our findings revealed both interpreter and non-interpreter groups recruited the right dorsolateral prefrontal hub when completing the simultaneous language translation tasks. We also found different functional connectivity between the groups. The interpreter group was characterized by information exchange between the frontal cortex and Wernicke’s area. In comparison, the non-interpreter group revealed neural coupling between the frontal cortex and Broca’s area. These findings indicate expertise modulates functional connectivity, possibly because of more developed cognitive skills associated with executive functions in interpreters.
Highlights
Exceptional performance is what human beings strive for
We explored the functional connectivity (FC) underlying simultaneous translation tasks in interpreters and non-interpreters, by using the non-invasive Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) technique
Our findings revealed that both interpreter and non-interpreter groups recruited the right dorsolateral prefrontal hub when completing the sight translation task, indicating the paramount role it plays in simultaneous language translation
Summary
Exceptional performance is what human beings strive for. People try their utmost to figure out what underpins the myth of excellence. To understand exceptional performance in simultaneous language translation, scholars [7,8,11,13,14,19] compared neural mechanisms between interpreters and non-interpreters. The studies have revealed different brain activation patterns between interpreters and non-interpreters [8] and stronger executive control in interpreters [13,14], suggesting expertise-dependent neural modulations in the brains of interpreters. Language activities, such as production and comprehension, are supported by a distributed network of cortices, encompassing the language areas, temporal regions, as well as the visual areas [20,21]. Compared to the vigorous exploration of the segregated brain activation underlying simultaneous language translation, only a handful of studies have been conducted to investigate how brain sub-regions coordinate to complete such a task, namely the functional connectivity (FC)
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