Abstract
AbstractResearch 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.
Highlights
The development of language competence is an intricate process involving various cognitive factors, and the issue of how language learners acquire complex language skills during this intricate process has been one of the central topics in language acquisition research
Summary writing for SL A summary writing task was developed by the designers of the consecutive interpreting (CI) tests to examine participantsβ SL summarization ability
Language skills and memory spans that were correlated with CI performance entered structural equation modelling (SEM), which was conducted to test the fitness of hypothetical models
Summary
The development of language competence is an intricate process involving various cognitive factors, and the issue of how language learners acquire complex language skills during this intricate process has been one of the central topics in language acquisition research. Given that language is a complex system whose performance depends on how language users βsoftassembleβ available resources (Larsen-Freeman, 2018), to unveil how complex language skills are developed, researchers are essentially required to probe into the interaction of related cognitive resources, as well as its change over time. The present study, intends to address this issue in the framework of the DST, hoping to reveal how interpreting competence develops in interpreting students as the interrelationship among involved cognitive abilities evolves within the complex system. This exploration may contribute to research on human development by shedding light on how complex language skills emerge in language learners
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
