Translation and Interpreting Research

Translation and Interpreting Research

Awareness Training for Interpreting Numbers: Insights from English-to-Persian Consecutive Interpreting

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 PhD Candidate in Translation Studies, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Foreign Languages, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Foreign Languages, University of Isfahan, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
Abstract
Numbers challenge interpreters as they are unpredictable, offer little contextual redundancy, and demand substantial processing. Research on numbers in interpreting has mainly focused on the simultaneous mode, leaving consecutive awareness training underexplored. This mixed-methods, quasi-experimental study examined how awareness training affected Iranian undergraduates’ consecutive English-Persian number interpreting. Sixteen students formed experimental and control groups of eight. Training covered number-processing demands, English-Persian differences, common errors, note-taking, and practical exercises; pre- and posttests used 2020 US presidential debate excerpts. Paired-samples t-tests showed significant experimental-group improvements for numbers in context (p = .043) and with numerical modifiers (p < .001); the control group showed no significant change. Retrospective Interviews suggested better pronunciation, note-taking, performance, and confidence, though complex numbers and rapid sequences remained difficult. Training may improve number interpreting, but the small sample, non-random assignment, and baseline differences warrant caution; larger between-group studies are needed.
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