Do Adult Simultaneous Bilinguals Outperform Adult Sequential Billinguals in Simulated Experimental Bi-Directional Simultaneous Interpreting Tasks?

Abstract

This doctoral study investigated whether adult simultaneous bilinguals perform better than adult sequential bilinguals in a bi-directional simultaneous interpreting (SI) task. The project adopted Grosjean's holistic theory as a theoretical lens, especially the concept of bilingual mode, and his Complementarity Principle Model, proposing unique individual bilingual profiles as a result of language acquisition by domain. This project was a cross-sectional study, evaluating a sample population of 48 participants divided into one group of 24 adult simultaneous bilinguals who acquired both languages before the age of three and another group of 24 adult sequential bilinguals who acquired their second language after the age of three. Three research instruments were employed: a Language Background Questionnaire, experimental bi-directional SI tasks and Think-Aloud Protocols, which allowed participants to make contributions from their unique perspective. The research found no significant difference between adult simultaneous and sequential bilinguals in the SI tasks overall, nor any significant difference in the SI task into English. However, there was a significant difference in the SI task out of English, where the sequential bilinguals outperformed the simultaneous bilinguals. At category level, where the results were analysed according to 14 assessment criteria, the simultaneous bilinguals outperformed the sequential bilinguals in two categories into English. The sequential bilinguals outperformed their simultaneous counterparts in one category into English and in four categories out of English. This work is amongst few in presenting research into a non-immigrant population of healthy bilinguals of working age tested in bilingual mode.