Explicitation and cognitive load in simultaneous interpreting

Abstract This article investigates the correlation between explicitation and increased cognitive load in simultaneous interpreting by trainee interpreters. It has been hypothesised, on the one hand, that certain explicitating shifts in simultaneous interpreting may be caused by increased cognitive load and they may be performed in an attempt to mask processing problems; and, on the other, that performing explicitating shifts may lead to increased cognitive load and trigger processing problems. The study triangulates product analysis (manual comparison of source and target texts) with process analysis (retrospective protocols of the participants). In the product the correlation between the occurrence of explicitating shifts and increased cognitive load is sought by identifying problem indicators in the form of three types of disfluency: hesitation markers, false starts and anomalous pauses exceeding two seconds (performance measure). Retrospective protocols are analysed in search of reports of explicitating shifts and/or increased cognitive load experienced and/or the cognitive effort expended (subjective measure). The product analysis shows the correlation between explicitating shifts and cognitive load at the level of 31%. The Spearman’s rank-order correlation coefficient r = 0.48 indicates that there is a positive association between these two variables. This finding is further confirmed by 122 retrospective comments of the subjects in the study.