The roles of language proficiency, working memory, and anxiety in speech error repairs in consecutive interpreting

Abstract This study investigates the underexplored aspect of how interpreters detect and repair speech errors, focusing on various linguistic levels. We examined how error repairs are influenced by individual differences in language proficiency, working memory, and anxiety levels among student interpreters. Our findings demonstrate that while interpreters effectively detected and repaired lexical, syntactic, and phonological errors, they struggled with conceptual errors. Error detection and repair improved with an increase in the interpreter’s working memory span, whereas heightened anxiety impeded the repair of conceptual errors. Interpreters with superior working memory were more successful in correctly repairing conceptual errors and indeed speech errors in general, and those with better language proficiency also showed more success in error repair. The results highlight the pivotal role of working memory and the influence of language proficiency and anxiety on error correction in interpreting, emphasizing the significance of source language comprehension in avoiding conceptual errors.