Examining Interpreter Trainees’ Perceptions Of Machine Simultaneous Interpreting:A Case Study Of User Experience On Cai Tools

The recent decade has witnessed a gradual paradigm shift in the field of translation and interpretation as information technology evolves rapidly.Although many previous studies have been conducted to explore potential of Automatic Speech Recognition,glossary building,and Machine Translation serving as Computer-Assisted Interpreting tools,most of them mainly focused on assessing the quality of interpreting product.However,the feelings and demands of interpreters,especially interpreter trainees,on these technologies need to be further delved into so as to drive the upgrade of CAI tools,improve interpreter education,and promote human-machine collaboration.The thesis adopted Technology Acceptance Model and Usability Evaluation Theory for the design of empirical experiment to present the case of how three postgraduate students with different levels of proficiency at simultaneous interpreting interact with and perceive Machine Simultaneous Interpreting software.The three trainees’ user experience,intention of continued use,and their viewpoints on MSI’s prospects in interpreting services and teaching are recorded and discussed.The results of four rounds of interviews,think-aloud recordings,and training logs reveal the different perceptions of the three student interpreters toward whether MSI programs can work as CAI tools after the nearly one-month training and testing period of various simultaneous interpreting tasks with Tongchuan i FLYREC and Youdao Tongchuan.Despite the explicit recognition of certain support provided by MSI software,plenty of barriers are also identified to treating it as a genuinely useful aid.