Insights Into Challenges Faced by Interpreting Trainees and Their Error Patterns

This study explored the challenges faced by trainees in Arabic and English interpreting by analyzing prevalent errors and investigating their underlying causes. A cohort of 31 female students underwent simultaneous interpretation tests in both languages. The data were used to identify challenges encountered during the interpretation process and analyze participants’ performance using Musa and Al-Maryani’s (2021) eclectic model. The study also examined the impact of L2 level on interpreting output. The findings show that omission is the most common error in interpreting both English and Arabic speech and is often employed as a coping technique for challenges such as speech speed, specialized terminology, structural differences, and numerical information. Hesitation was more pronounced when interpreting English into Arabic, indicating difficulties in directionality and language fluency. Regardless of language proficiency or level, all participants made similar errors when interpreting Arabic and English speech. These findings highlight the importance of developing comprehensive interpreter training that focuses not only on L2 proficiency, but also on strategies for managing the challenges encountered during interpretation, such as speech speed, specialized terminology, and directionality.