NEW SOLUTIONS FOR ENGLISH-ITALIAN REMOTE SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETING TRAINING: ACCESSIBILITY FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE & SPEECH-TO-TEXT TECHNOLOGY

Over the last few years, a technological breakthrough has dramatically changed how interpreters work since the use of remote simultaneous interpreting (RSI) and AI-powered computer-assisted interpreting tools (CAI tools) has significantly increased. With the recent integration of speech-to-text technology and CAI tools into RSI platforms, the development of new tools aims to increase the efficiency of interpreters’ workflow and improve their performance. Further research is being conducted to facilitate the accessibility of RSI platforms for visually impaired interpreters. In 2022, we started teaching a new remote simultaneous interpreting class at IULM University, using the Converso Education Platform. Firstly, this contribution aims to present the new function for visually impaired interpreters in this platform. Our blind interpreting students can now access and use Converso Education through specific shortcuts or a special stream deck. Secondly, the performance of interpreting students with and without the new speech-to-text technologies has been assessed as the Converso platform has recently integrated real-time speech transcription into its features. Following Prandi’s multimethod approach, this study will analyse simultaneous interpreting from English into Italian performed by students with the support of the full ASR transcript, with real-time suggestions of numbers and specialised terms extracted from the transcript or only with the use of a traditional electronic Microsoft Word glossary. Data on the three terminology management solutions adopted in this study will be compared to determine whether a terminology search carried out while interpreting simultaneously shows differences in the precision of the rendition and cognitive overload, which occurs when simultaneous interpreting “problem triggers” - i.e., numbers and specialised terms - require increased resources.