Patterns of multimodal behavior under cognitive load: An analysis of simultaneous interpretation from L2 to L1

This article addresses the phenomena of co-verbal behavior of speakers in contexts of intense cognitive pressure. By analyzing simultaneous interpretation, we investigate how co-speech gestures are used by interpreters, arguing that this professional activity is characterized by a special kind of cognitive load, which results from the necessity of the speaker to negotiate meanings between languages under time pressure. Video recordings of Russian simultaneous interpreters who interpreted a TED talk from English into Russian were annotated and analyzed with the help of ELAN software. Although the results point to high variability of individual gestural patterns, certain similarities in gesture use were observed, such as prevalence of adapters for both the trainees and experienced interpreters and the function of viewpoint blending realized by beats and pragmatic gestures. High frequency of adapters and beats, as opposed to low frequency of representational gestures, might point to the fact that in simultaneous interpreting cognitive offload is often achieved with the help of gestures with lower conceptual purport. In general, the analysis of simultaneous interpretation in terms of cognitive load has shown that gestures constitute an important part of the speakers' multimodal profile linked to their behavior in situation of high cognitive pressure.