The effect of fluency training on interpreter trainees’ speech fluency, comprehensibility, and accentedness

Abstract

Fluency, comprehensibility, and accentedness are considered important parameters of interpreting quality but have rarely been studied systematically in training programs of interpreting. Therefore, the present study was set up to investigate the effect of fluency training on speech fluency, comprehensibility, and accentedness of interpreter trainees. Two groups of interpreter trainees at a university in Iran took part in the study, receiving the same amount of instruction and practice (12 hours over 4 weeks). The experimental group (N = 30) spent 33% of the time (i.e., 4 of the 12 hours in the training program) on dedicated fluency strategy training, encouraging the memorization, repetition, and retelling of audio and video materials. The remaining 67% was spent on training general speaking skills. The control group (N = 30) were only taught general speaking skills in the training program but received no dedicated fluency training. Systematic interviews were run to assess the interpreter trainees’ speech fluency, comprehensibility and accentedness, which were judged independently by three expert raters at three moments of testing, i.e., pretest, immediate posttest, and delayed posttest (one month later). The findings revealed that the fluency training significantly enhanced the interpreter trainees’ fluency, and to a lesser extent the students’ comprehensibility but had only a marginal effect on accentedness. The pedagogical implication would be that awareness training on speech fluency in EFL settings be included in interpreting training programs.