Barbara Moser-Mercer

Barbara Moser-Mercer is Professor of Conference Interpreting at the École de traduction et d'interprétation (ETI), University of Geneva, and Director of the Conference Interpreting Program. She studied translation and interpreting at the University of Innsbruck, psycholinguistics and neurolinguistics at the University of Rochester, N.Y. and her doctoral dissertation examined the possibilities of cognitive modeling in simultaneous interpreting. She has co-authored two books on interpreting and has published papers on aptitude testing for conference interpreters and on various aspects of interpreters' working conditions. Her research has focussed on the acquisition of expertise in interpreting, on human factors and their relevance to working conditions in interpreting, and on cognitive parameters in remote interpreting. She is active in the training of interpreter trainers both at ETI, as well as for the European institutions and for AIIC in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, an active conference interpreter and member of AIIC, and convener of AIIC's Research Commission.

Abstract of presentation:

Skill acquisition in interpreting: A human performance perspective

Performance is central to interpreting, both at the professional level and in the classroom. Successful expert performance that meets the standards set for entry into the profession allows students to transition into the world of professional practice. Past research on the cognitive dimensions of interpreting has led to modelling the interpreting process of the hypothetical expert interpreter with solid professional experience. However, skill acquisition in interpreting and the various stages learners pass through towards more expert performance, cannot readily be explained with the models developed for expert interpreters. There are numerous factors that co-determine successful expert performance; many of them, however, are not replicated in novice performance; also, the learning environment produces additional factors that will not transition into professional practice. This paper attempts to look at skill acquisition in interpreting from a performance psychology perspective covering a variety of factors such as divided attention and workload, sustained attention, human error, stress and performance, lifestyle and performance, and the development of expertise. Based on quantitative data derived from a sizeable student population the author seeks to model the interpreting student's learning environment as it has evolved in the 21st Century as well as the skill acquisition process in the age of new technologies.