Translators and interpreters are increasingly confronted with English texts written by non-native speakers. As a result, many find their work more challenging, as the intended meaning is often unclear. This has led interpreting researchers to question whether English is the right tool for international communication, especially in professional contexts, where clarity is essential. As part of the project Cognitive Load in Interpreting and Translation (CLINT), funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), researchers from the ZHAW Institute of Multilingual Communication and the Department of Psychology at the University of Zurich examined the effects of non-native English on language processing.

Greater cognitive load

The ZHAW research team compared the performance of interpreters working with two versions of the same text written by non-native English speakers: the original and an edited version improved by native speakers. Meanwhile, the UZH team measured physiological indicators such as heart rate and brain activity to assess cognitive processing. The findings show that non-native English texts can increase the cognitive load on interpreters and translators – particularly when dealing with technical or complex content. Unusual word combinations and sentence structures, as well as a lack of logical coherence, made interpreting more challenging. These findings will be integrated into interpreter training and are intended to inspire further research.