IMPERSONALISATION AS A COGNITIVE TOOL IN SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETING

This paper examines impersonalization as a cognitive strategy that enhances the efficiency of simultaneous interpreters in English-Ukrainian language pair interpreting. Impersonalisation, which is described as being linguistic and emotionally neutral, allows the interpreters to control their cognitive load, remain clear-headed, and even emotionally neutral during moments of extreme emotion. In spite of its significance, there has been scant literature on the use of impersonalization in interpreting studies, leaving a gap in practical aspects of training as well as a theoretical one. The controlled experiment enrolled 30 master students who were put into experimental and control research groups. The experimental group was trained on a structured program on impersonalization techniques, such as use of passive voice, agent-less sentences, and filtering of emotions in out of politics speeches for 12 weeks. Participants were able to pursue their education in a simulated environment where ethnic conflict scenarios sparked emotions. The performance was evaluated by means of language assessment, NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX), and eye movement pattern data collection as enriched with questionnaires and interviews. Findings showed that impersonalization resulted in more successful interpreting performance. The experimental group increased the level of neutrality by 30% and had 25% less load on their cognition compared to the control group. Emotion filtering was the most efficient method of reducing cognitive effort while proficiency in non-linguistic interventions raised the level of quality. This research qualifies impersonalization as a pivotal device in the context of simultaneous interpreting and further for interpreter education and practice. Further studies may seek to investigate its use for other languages and more difficult interpreting situations, including its combination with various technologies used in interpreting.