Silent pauses and disfluencies in consecutively interpreted Hungarian speech

Abstract

Research into fluency in interpreted target language texts has received considerable research attention in Interpreting Studies for two reasons: first, fluency plays a key role in the evaluation of interpreter performance in training and by the target audience, and, second, it contributes to a better understanding of the covert processes of speech planning during interpreting. The aim of this paper is to map the frequency of occurrence of silent pauses, filled pauses and lengthenings in the consecutively interpreted Hungarian target language output of interpreter trainees. As part of a longitudinal study, recordings were made of the students’ consecutive interpreting performance at the end of the second, third and fourth semesters of a 4-semester master’s program in translation and interpreting. Our results indicate that there were no significant changes in the frequency of occurrence of disfluencies in the target language output of students in the recordings made at different stages of interpreter training. However, the average duration of filled pauses in the interpreted target language texts decreased significantly as students progressed in their training.