Cognitive load in remote simultaneous interpreting: place name translation in two Mandarin variants

Abstract

This study examined the accuracy of place name translation during remote simultaneous interpreting (RSI) when interpreters were required to use a different variant of their native language. Participants, professional English/ Mandarin from mainland China, were divided into two groups: the Taiwan group, using the Taiwanese Mandarin variant, and the control group, using the mainland variant. The source speech consisted of three lists of place names, some of which had the same Chinese translation in both the mainland China Mandarin variant and the Taiwanese Mandarin variant, while others did not. The two groups of participants performed RSI from English into Chinese. The analysis focused on the third item in each list, chosen due to the differences in Chinese translations between the two Mandarin variants. Results showed no significant difference in the number of incorrect translations for the first test item between the two groups. However, significant variations were observed for the second and third test items, potentially linked to progressive mental fatigue and increased cognitive demand faced by the Taiwan group participants. This suggests that using a non-habitual language variant can impact the accuracy of RSI.