The cognitive psychology of expertise and the domain of interpreting

This article surveys findings from cognitive science research on expertise, with a focus on applications to the domain of simultaneous interpreting, including methods of knowledge elicitation that might be useful in the empirical investigation of proficiency at simultaneous interpreting. Defining features of expertise include its developmental progression, the nature of expert memory organization, and the nature of expert reasoning. I explore ways in which a number of defining criteria might apply to the domain of interpreting. With regard to knowledge elicitation, I explore three knowledge elicitation methods that sample the palette of available methods, specifically, a type of structured interview, a type of task analysis, and a more contrived or laboratory task.