Bontempo, K., Napier, J., Hayes, L. & Brashear, V. (2014). Personality Matters: An international study of sign language interpreter disposition. International Journal of Translation and Interpreting Research, Vol 6, 1. (original) (raw)
Related papers
Does personality matter? An international study of sign language interpreter disposition
This article describes the results of an international research collaboration. The aim of the study was to identify the dispositional traits of interpreters that may be predictive of occupational performance. Empirically, general cognitive ability has been shown to be highly predictive of job performance across most occupations and is considerably more predictive than non-cognitive factors. The cognitive complexity of the task of interpreting is irrefutable, and it is likely there is a strong link between an interpreter's level of competence and his or her general cognitive ability across a number of important cognitive domains. The personalityperformance link is more ambiguous in an organisational context however, although intuitively dispositional traits are likely to play a role in interpreter education and training, and in interpreting practice. Drawing on literature from organisational psychology, personality psychology, interpreting and translation, and applied linguistics, an online survey methodology was developed to explore interpreter disposition and competence. The questionnaire incorporated reliable and valid tests of personality constructs including 'The Big Five' (openness to experience; conscientiousness; extraversion; agreeableness; and neuroticism), as well as constructs of perfectionism and self-esteem. The survey received 2193 responses from interpreters residing in 38 different countries, and is the largest international study of sign language interpreter personality ever undertaken. The results reveal clear patterns in regard to personality factors that predict interpreter performance. Based on the data collected in this global study, and the growing body of scholarly work in this area, the personality factors that appear to have predictive value for interpreters will be outlined, addressing possible implications for both pedagogy and practice in the profession.
Since the early days of translation and interpreting studies, scholars have emphasized the value of certain personality related traits for translation and interpreting performance. Especially in the conference interpreter world, preconceived opinions about the desired personality traits for conference interpreters seem to exist. However, there is little to no empirical evidence to either corroborate or refuse these ideas. In this paper we aim to explore a set of individual difference variables (IDs) – as these traits are called in the literature – to gain an insight into the profile of aspiring interpreters and to explore whether this profile differs from that of other advanced language experts. To this end, we have compared the IDs of three groups of advanced language learners who have received the same bachelor training but will branch off into three different master's programmes: interpreting, translation and multilingual communication. By means of self-report questionnaires we have gauged the language learners' willingness to communicate, cultural empathy, social initiative, flexibility, open-mindedness and emotional stability before they began their professional training. The data show that student interpreters score significantly higher than students of multilingual communication and student translators on the social initiative and emotional stability dimensions. These results seem to indicate that students aspiring to become interpreters can be distinguished from students aspiring to become translators or multilingual communicators on the basis of these personality traits. These differences are already in place before the students embark on their professional training in the master's programme.
John Benjamins
This paper proposes that variance in interpreter performance is dependent on factors of both general cognitive ability and personality. Whilst there is no doubt of the interplay between individual personality traits and job performance across many occupations, the greatest interest lies in determining which traits play the most important role; and to what extent these variables impact on learning and achievement. The paper reports on a study of 110 accredited signed language interpreters in Australia. Psychological constructs of self-efficacy, goal orientation and negative affectivity were measured, as were interpreter ratings of self-perceived competence as practitioners. The most significant finding revealed the dimension of emotional stability (represented on the negative end of the continuum by traits of anxiety and neuroticism, and measured in this study by the negative affectivity scale) as a predictor of interpreter's self-perceived competence. Based on these findings, recommendations for admission testing and interpreter education curricula are discussed. * The Auslan interpreters who willingly gave of their time to participate in this study are gratefully acknowledged for their contribution to our increased understanding of dispositional factors that may be predictive of interpreter performance.
Interpreting, 2011
This paper proposes that variance in interpreter performance is dependent on factors of both general cognitive ability and personality. Whilst there is no doubt of the interplay between individual personality traits and job performance across many occupations, the greatest interest lies in determining which traits play the most important role; and to what extent these variables impact on learning and achievement. The paper reports on a study of 110 accredited signed language interpreters in Australia. Psychological constructs of self-efficacy, goal orientation and negative affectivity were measured, as were interpreter ratings of self-perceived competence as practitioners. The most significant finding revealed the dimension of emotional stability (represented on the negative end of the continuum by traits of anxiety and neuroticism, and measured in this study by the negative affectivity scale) as a predictor of interpreter's self-perceived competence. Based on these findings, recommendations for admission testing and interpreter education curricula are discussed.
مجلة جامعة دهوك, 2023
This study theoretically attends to the factors affecting consecutive interpreters' performance. The information accessed in the relevant resources side by side with the researcher's personal experience in performing the job of a consecutive interpreter have led to the identification of a set of factors that have been categorized into three main sets, namely speaker-related, interpreter-related and situation-related factors. Interpreter-related factors, that fall into 10 sub-factors, are the focus of the current study. They are related to the interpreter's skills, knowledge, experience, and physical and mental requirements. The study is expected to aid consecutive interpreters and interpreting students to familiarize themselves with these factors, better understand their influence on their performance, and duly alleviate their impact. The conclusions drawn upon show that the interpreter-related factors do impact consecutive interpreters' performance.
This paper proposes that variance in interpreter performance is dependent on factors of both general cognitive ability and personality. Whilst there is no doubt of the interplay between individual personality traits and job performance across many occupations, the greatest interest lies in determining which traits play the most important role; and to what extent these variables impact on learning and achievement. The paper reports on a study of 110 accredited signed language interpreters in Australia. Psychological constructs of self-efficacy, goal orientation and negative affectivity were measured, as were interpreter ratings of self-perceived competence as practitioners. The most significant finding revealed the dimension of emotional stability (represented on the negative end of the continuum by traits of anxiety and neuroticism, and measured in this study by the negative affectivity scale) as a predictor of interpreter's self-perceived competence. Based on these findings, recommendations for admission testing and interpreter education curricula are discussed.
Psychological testing of sign language interpreters
Journal of deaf studies and deaf education, 2004
Twenty-eight sign language interpreters participated in a battery of tests to determine if a profile of cognitive, motor, attention, and personality attributes might distinguish them as a group and at different credential levels. Eight interpreters held Level II and nine held Level III Virginia Quality Assurance Screenings (VQAS); the other 11 held Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) certification. Six formal tests, the Quick Neurological Screening Test-II, the Wonderlic Personnel Test, the Test of Visual-Motor Skills (TVMS), the d2 Test of Attention, the Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test, and the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF), were administered to the interpreters. Average scores were high on most of the tests; differences across the three groups were not statistically significant. Results from only one test, the d2 Test of Attention, were significantly correlated with interpreter level. Comparisons between educational and communit...
This thesis is comprised of a series of thematically linked work that explores and investigates factors that may be predictors of interpreter performance. The research study identifies the skills, knowledge and abilities deemed necessary for competent performance as a signed language interpreter; measures perceived competence in interpreters; gathers data on the skills gaps of interpreters and a range of personality constructs; and applies this potentially predictive data. The application of the findings of the research study include piloting interpreter education program admission screening procedures; establishing a diagnostic skills analysis and performance management process for educational interpreters; and documenting the risk associated with interpreting in traumatic settings, and introducing strategies to enhance the personal coping skills of interpreters working in such environments. The data gathered from this unified corpus of research, and the efforts outlined to apply the findings in purposeful ways in a series of practical projects, will contribute to the field of interpreter education by increasing the body of knowledge about interpreter aptitude, ability and achievement. Knowing what qualities may be predictive of successful performance in the profession may lead to the development of more effective screening tools for assessing occupational suitability for interpreting; the potential for better predicting achievement in programs of study; improved capacity for addressing skills gaps in interpreters; and better training opportunities and safeguards for working practitioners. It will also provide direction and guidance to interpreter educators, employers, and practitioners themselves, in regard to curricula; staff supervision and support; interpreter performance management; and individual awareness of the aptitudes and abilities recommended for effective interpreting practice. The results of the study have implications for both spoken and signed language interpreting fields in regard to research, pedagogy and practice. KEYWORDS: Aptitude, personality, performance, sign language interpreting, skills gaps Completion of thesis Place: Macquarie University, Australia Year: 2012 Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Jemina Napier
Selected Aspects of Interpreting in the 21st Century, 2017
Individual factors, i.e. affective factors such as anxiety, fear, stress, language inhibition, motivation etc. and, generally speaking, different types of emotions, are an inseparable part of the interpreter’s professional activity. They are also experienced by interpreting trainees, especially in an interpreting test, and those factors seem to play a significant role in decreasing the trainees’ interpreting performance quality. In the study, I will analyse certain correlations between the length of target language exposure (i.e. the exposure to the English language), interpreting quality (on the basis of an in-class consecutive interpreting test results) and individual factors. It might be hypothesised that the longer the exposure to the target language (in this case – to English) is, the better the quality of target language output is with the students’ better management of those factors. In the study I will examine two groups of interpreting students – the undergraduate and postgraduate ones who – after the consecutive interpreting test, carried out in the same manner and form in both groups – were asked to fill in a self-reflection form, in which they expressed their views on a number of issues related to the test, including the role of individual factors. Those students differed in the length of target language exposure so what might be expected is that those with longer exposure achieved better results – their interpreting output was qualitatively better and their management of individual factors was improved. This paper therefore just seeks to provide some arguments to corroborate this hypothesis.