Impacts of Physiological Stress on Arab Simultaneous Interpreters

Abstract

The study aimed to examine the substantial impact of stress on Arab simultaneous interpreters. The study designed a survey of two main constructs. The first construct aimed at identifying demographic information, while the second construct gathered information about stress assessment, physiological reactions to stress, and management mechanisms. The survey was shared with Arab simultaneous interpreters via the most common social networking sites: Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The study found that 50% of the respondents indicated having stress while doing their interpreting tasks. The study revealed that stress leads to a surge in heart rate, headaches, and muscle cramps. More importantly, the physiological symptoms impeded interpreters' cognitive performance. Therefore, interpreters could not focus and retrieve information properly, which inhibited the spoken message's accuracy and comprehension. For cognitive performance, the study showed that stress inhibits the quality of interpretation, which results in producing incomplete interpretation.