Pre-Interpreting Preparation and Its Influence on Performance: An Empirical Study of Student Interpreters

Abstract

This study investigates the student interpreters’ perceptions of the most important component of pre-interpreting preparation strategy in interpreting. The study examines the perceived roles of three components; terminology, subject knowledge, and speaker familiarity. Based on a sample of 64 undergraduate students from the Translation program at Al-Azhar University. The data were collected through a structured questionnaire and SPSS was used to analyze the data. The results show that students perceive subject knowledge (M=3.92, SD = 0.58) as the most critical component in pre-interpreting preparation, followed by terminology (M=3.67, SD = 0.38), knowing the speaker (M=3.48, SD = 0.45). Detailed item-level responses support the notion that preparation strategies such as reading background texts and memorizing terminology greatly enhance the comprehension of the topic of discourse and the whole interpreting quality. The findings highlight the value of preparation in interpreter education and provide insights into how student interpreters prioritize different preparatory strategies.