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Article In: Translation, Cognition & Behavior: Online-First Articles

Subject length in English-Arabic simultaneous interpreting

Syntactic priming as a driver of structural alignment

ORCiD logo with link | Sohar University
ORCiD logo with link | Sohar University
ORCiD logo with link | Sohar University
ORCiD logo with link | Sohar University
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Abstract
Syntactic complexity poses significant challenges in simultaneous interpreting (SI), affecting both the process and product and requiring interpreters to cope using various tactics. The role of subject length in English-Arabic SI has received little attention. This study investigates the correlation between SL subject length and structural choices in Arabic SI. A bilingual corpus of authentic English conference speeches and their professional Arabic SIs was analyzed. The results revealed a tendency to mirror English subject–verb–object (SVO) structures by opting for the Arabic marked SVO pattern instead of the more typical verb–subject–object (VSO) order. Subject length was found to be a reliable predictor of structural choice, with a weak but statistically significant correlation indicating that longer subjects slightly increase the likelihood of selecting SVO. This pattern suggests that structural alignment is influenced by automatic priming tendencies interacting with strategic load management, with clear implications for interpreter training and professional practice.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Research objective
  • 2.Syntactic complexity in SI
  • 3.Material and methods
    • 3.1Corpus design and sampling
    • 3.2Data coding and analysis
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Subject length and choice of structure
      • 4.1.1Descriptive statistics
      • 4.1.2Normality of subject length
      • 4.1.3Correlation analysis
      • 4.1.4Logistic regression analysis
        • Model Diagnostics
        • Predictor variable
        • Conclusion
      • 4.1.5Mann-Whitney test
        • Summary
  • 5.Discussion
  • 6.Conclusion
  • References
References (74)
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