The effects of training on reading behaviour and performance in sight translation: a longitudinal study using eye-tracking

This longitudinal study focuses on the impact of training on trainee interpreters’ reading behaviour and performance during sight translation (ST) when dealing with texts of different syntactic complexities, compared to a control group. Participants sight translated four texts, two semesters apart, while their eye movements were captured. Mixed-effects modelling was used to investigate how the independent variables of Complexity, Test Time and Group affect reading behaviour and the ST performance. The findings show that while two semesters of training had limited impact on the reading behaviour of the experimental group, their ST performance improved significantly. It was also found that the effect of training on reading behaviour is mediated by skill level, with greater effects for participants of around or below average performance level.