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The translating brain: cerebral activation patterns during simultaneous interpreting
J O Rinne1, J Tommola, M Laine
1Turku PET Center, University of Turku, P.O. Box 52, FIN-20521, Turku, Finland. juha.rinne@pet.tyks.fi
Neuroscience Letters
|November 4, 2000
Summary
Professional interpreters show distinct brain activation patterns during simultaneous interpreting (SI). Translating into a non-native language engages more brain regions, particularly in the left hemisphere, compared to native language translation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Linguistics
Background:
- Simultaneous interpreting (SI) is a complex cognitive task.
- Understanding the neural underpinnings of SI is crucial for cognitive neuroscience and linguistics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate brain activation differences between simultaneous interpreting (SI) and shadowing.
- To explore how the direction of translation (native vs. non-native language) affects brain activity during SI.
Main Methods:
- Positron emission tomography (PET) was used to measure brain activation.
- Professional interpreters performed simultaneous interpreting and shadowing tasks with auditorily presented text.
Main Results:
- SI into the native language (Finnish) showed increased activation in the left frontal cortex.
- SI into the non-native language (English) revealed more extensive left-sided fronto-temporal activation.
- Activation patterns were modulated by translation direction, with greater engagement for non-native language translation.
Conclusions:
- Simultaneous interpreting predominantly activates left-hemispheric structures.
- These activated regions are associated with lexical search, semantic processing, and verbal working memory.
- Translating into a non-native language is a more demanding task, reflected in broader brain activation.