Occurrences of unfilled/filled pause-omissions and linguistic interference in A/E simultaneous interpreting of adlibbed and scripted speeches: a cognitive empirical study

Abstract

Cognitive operational processing of the multiple tasks involved in simultaneous interpreting is commonly assumed by the models of the Cognitive Paradigm of SI. In view of the nexus correlating the Effort, Availability and Gravitational models (Gile 1997, 2009, 2016, 2018), the notions of Disturbance of Sequential Segments (2016), and Progressively Heightened Omissions, devised by the author, the present micro-scale, descriptive, experimental study traces manifestations of low availability in the output audios of trainee subjects for two Arabic scripted and adlibbed technical speeches. Working languages of the trainee-interpreters are Arabic (A language), and English (B language); Arabic Cairene Colloquial variety is their spoken dialect. Digital transcripts of sample output audios are sought through a speech recognition processor. Through a quan-qual analysis, the output audio transcripts are examined against three main problem triggers: speed of delivery, mode of delivery and informational density. Objectives of study are to: 1. Investigate, while comparing between two modes of Arabic delivery, the commonly assumed correlation between manifestations of low availability, as filled/unfilled pauses and subsequent occurrences of errors and omissions, 2. Attempt to redefine the voiced hesitations, which are typically known as low manifestation of interpreting availability, 3. Examine low availability occurrences caused by peculiar linguistic features of ˁAamiyyat al- muθaqqafiin, Cultured Cairene Arabic Colloquial variety, such as its intricate clause complex, the linguistic interference of colloquial use of superordinate hyponyms for a specific technical sense, and the habitual colloquial Arabic wa,. Findings and conclusions aim to reach recommendations for SI training courses. Quan-Qual analysis of the output adlibbed and scripted audio transcripts evidences: 1.a twin relation between unfilled pauses and omissions, striking a 76.9 % of the total unfilled pauses in the adlibbed and 60% in the scripted. 2. Validity of the Progressively Heightened Omissions Hypothesis. With a higher density and speed, quantitatively measured in the adlibbed Duration 3, output transcripts hit a 76.9 % of the total adlibbed output unfilled pause-omission occurrences. 3. With a meager 4% in the adlibbed and a 6.08% in the scripted of the total voiced hesitations, a low frequency of filled pause-omission pair occurrences is monitored. Filled pauses are henceforth recommended as a neutral or a positive tactic in SI evaluation. Quan-qual examination of the adlibbed output audio transcripts shows: 1. Interference of the habitual colloquial Arabic wa(138)Occasional PapersVol. 68: October (2019)ISSN 1110-2721causes a higher frequency of the rendered English ‘and’ (an average of 76.5 occurrences) than the input corresponding Arabic wa (46 hits), 2. The migrating more specific technical senses of the input Cairene Colloquial Arabic superordinate in/transitive verbs and active participles further burden the working memory, coordination, and production processing efforts. 3. Centrifugal migration of the hypotactic relation entailed by the Cairene Colloquial ellipted reporting verb, as it generates an implicit subordinate relation intended by the speaker, requires a higher comprehension effort, in consequence, voiced hesitations, erroneous co-referential relations, and mistaken subordinate relation of cause are produced