2 Reasons Why the Brain of a Business Interpreter Can Improve Your Memory

The cognitive functions required for a business interpreter extend beyond memory, although it is an integral component. In fact, simultaneous interpretation requires the brain to work in more than one modality, as it perceives and produces speech at once. For this reason, linguists and neuroscientists believe memory processing involves more than an act of reproduction. Normally, our most sophisticated abilities occur as a result of the intricate network in our brains coordinating between regions that control tasks like hearing and movement. With simultaneous and consecutive interpreting services, the same amount of cognitive work occurs, even if it is stretched over a longer period of time for consecutive interpretation.

The Brain of a Business Interpreter: Speed of Processing

Simultaneous interpretation is a cycle of receiving the input of language, processing speech, and generating an appropriate output in the target language. Business interpreters occupy a specific role, often facilitating a transaction dialogue such as an interview, court hearing, business meeting, presentation or negotiation between an individual and a client.To be successful in this process, a business interpreter must use more of the brain’s energy. During simultaneous interpretation, the brain works in the mode of dynamic redistribution of attention. Specifically, as the information gathered from the speaker increases, the brain’s ability to process current information decreases. As a result, the more an interpreter for a conference lags, the less of his or her brain is are available to process new information.  The corporate interpreter’s brain is busy using working memory to hold previous information. Regularly working between two languages causes core brain networks to become more efficient. A practiced corporate interpreter or a government interpreter is better at their job because they are adept at exercising control over multiple languages. Such an advantage leads to the ability to switch between tasks in the brain, which requires inhibitory control.

The Brain of a Business Interpreter: Coactivation

The bilingual brain demonstrates considerable neural plasticity.  It can process speech despite linguistic competition from various sources. Current research has discovered differences in the bilingual brain, as switching between two communication systems reveals considerable control at the neural level. It seems when a bilingual person hears words in one language, their second language also becomes activated in the brain. Scientists believe the brains of bilinguals differ from monolinguals due to constant coactivation of two languages. Additionally, when faced with phonological competition or similar sounding words between two languages, bilinguals recruited more areas of the brain for processing, as compared to the amount of the brain used by a typical monolingual person.  These studies in brain differences raise an interesting question. Do bilinguals have an advantage over monolinguals from a cognitive standpoint?