Oral Paraphrasing and Consecutive Interpreting: A Validation Study of Aptitude Test Components for Interpreter Training

Abstract

This study addresses a critical gap in admission procedures for interpreter training programs, specifically examining the King Fahd School of Translation (KFST), which currently relies solely on written examinations. This research designed and validated a mock oral aptitude test combining consecutive interpreting (CI) and oral paraphrasing (OP) activities. The inclusion of OP aimed to assess cognitive flexibility and verbal fluency, which are often theorized as predictive capabilities for interpreting success. CI tasks, on the other hand, served as the direct outcome measure for interpreting competence. Eighteen newly admitted students with BA degrees in English Linguistics participated in the study and completed one Arabic-Arabic paraphrasing task and 3 CI tasks across different language pairs. Performance data were quantitatively analyzed using systematic coding of performance indicators. Results revealed significant variation in task difficulty (F = 17.508, p < 0.001), with Arabic-English CI proving the most challenging. However, contrary to established hypotheses, the correlation between OP and CI performance was non-significant (r = 0.227), and OP failed to differentiate between high and low CI performers. These null findings are significant as they challenge the universality of monolingual paraphrasing as a predicator for bilingual interpreting aptitude, particularly within the specific linguistic and cognitive constraints of Arabic, English, and French context at KFST. The study concludes that while oral screening is essential for differentiating candidate abilities, relying on singular predicators like paraphrasing is insufficient; instead, training programs should adopt comprehensive, locally validated multicomponent assessment batteries.

Keywords

• interpreter aptitude test
• interpreting studies
• oral paraphrasing
• consecutive interpreting
• predictive validity
• admission screening
• Arabic-English interpreting

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