Affiliation:
1. Laval University, Québec, Canada
2. University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
Abstract
Based on data from an earlier study (Lambert 1993), and on a propositional approach developed by Lemieux (1995), who refined quality of interpretation measurements sufficiently to determine a right-ear superiority at the beginning of a message and a left-ear superiority at the end of a message, the present study went one step further to examine the role played by experience, age and age of bilinguality, all possible factors influencing the hemispheric control of interpretation. Results indicated that the number of years of experience influences the quality of interpretation in that the more experienced interpreters interpreted better, regardless of ear of input. But overall results point to the possibility that hemispheric preferences for linguistic analysis might be much more under an interpreter’s voluntary control than first anticipated.
Subject
Linguistics and Language,Language and Linguistics
Reference22 articles.
1. Albert, M.L. and L.K. Obler (1978): The Bilingual Brain. London: Academic Press.
2. Barik, H.C. (1973): “Simultaneous interpretation:temporal and quantitative data.” Language and Speech.16:237-270.
3. Fabbro, F., Gran, L., Basso, G. and A. Bava (1990): “Cerebral lateralization during simultaneous interpretation.” Brain and Language. 39:69-89.
4. Fabbro, F., Gran, B. and L. Gran (1991): “Hemispheric specialization for semantic and syntactic components of language in simultaneous interpreters.” Brain and Language, 41:1-42.
5. Gran, L. (1989): “Interdisciplinary research on cerebral asymmetries: significance and prospects for the teaching of interpretation.” In L. Gran and J. Dodds (Eds). The Theoretical and Practical Aspects of Teaching Conference Interpretation. Udine: Campanotto Editore: 93-100.