Relations among and Predictive Effects of Anxiety, Enjoyment and Self-Efficacy on Chinese Interpreting Majors’ Self-Rated Interpreting Competence
Şerife ÇİFTÇİ
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
The paper investigates the impact of anxiety and enjoyment on learning achievements of the bachelors majoring in interpreting. The paper aims to identify the level of students’ anxiety and enjoyment as well as their interrelation. Moreover, the study connects the emotions with the level of self-efficacy and interpreting competence.
The methodology of the study includes survey using several questionnaires and statistical analysis to identify the level of the emotions under study.
The paper provides the results which may be of interest and relevance for other researchers and educators teaching interpreting as well as for the researchers investigating the impact of emotions on L2 acquisition.
In general, the manuscript is well-structured, the research design is clear and consistent with the results presented.
Yet, there are a number of commentaries and questions which may contribute to the quality of the manuscript.
1. The title needs to be reconsidered to reduce wordiness and to highlight the focus of the study.
2. In the Introduction section the authors present an extensive literature review; however, the research gap is not sufficiently and clearly highlighted. Could the authors highlight the specific gaps in the current research they reviewed. It helps understand the relevance of the study more clearly.
3. In Section 5 of the Discussion there seem to be formatting problems.
4. There are several questionnaires described in section presenting the research design (pp. 5-7). It could be convenient to provide the questionnaires in the appendix to the paper.
5. There are several language and stylistic mistakes in the manuscript. It is worth revising it.
Author Response
We are very grateful to the editor and the reviewer for all the hard work and insightful comments on our submission. All the comments and suggestions have been carefully considered and most integrated into the revised manuscript, as detailed below.
- The title needs to be reconsidered to reduce wordiness and to highlight the focus of the study.
Response: already improved according to your suggestion
- In the Introduction section the authors present an extensive literature review; however, the research gap is not sufficiently and clearly highlighted. Could the authors highlight the specific gaps in the current research they reviewed. It helps understand the relevance of the study more clearly.
Response: the specific gaps are clearly stated in section 2 ‘Research questions’.
- In Section 5 of the Discussion there seem to be formatting problems.
Response: this problem has been solved.
- There are several questionnaires described in section presenting the research design (pp. 5-7). It could be convenient to provide the questionnaires in the appendix to the paper.
Response: In that case, the paper shall be too long.
- There are several language and stylistic mistakes in the manuscript. It is worth revising it.
Response: already improved: The manuscript has been carefully proofread several times to avoid language problems.
Reviewer 2 Report
The study addresses an important problem. It is important that foreign language anxiety is examined in terms of different variables. A comprehensive literature review was conducted. Expanding the discussion part of the study will be supportive for future studies. In addition, minor formal and grammatical rewiev are needed.
Author Response
We are very grateful to the editor and the reviewer for all the hard work and insightful comments on our submission. All the comments and suggestions have been carefully considered and most integrated into the revised manuscript, as detailed below.
The study addresses an important problem. It is important that foreign language anxiety is examined in terms of different variables. A comprehensive literature review was conducted. Expanding the discussion part of the study will be supportive for future studies. In addition, minor formal and grammatical reviews are needed.
Response： formatting problems and grammatical problems have been solved: The manuscript has been carefully proofread several times to avoid language problems.
Reviewer 3 Report
Review of Relations among and predictive effects of interpreting class-room anxiety, enjoyment and self-efficacy on Chinese interpreting majors’ self-rated interpreting competence
The paper aims to research the affective factors students experience in interpreting classes. The topic is interesting and although this is a widely researched topic there aren’t too many studies focusing on interpreters in training, although see Cai et al. (2023). The theoretical novelty of the present paper is questionable, and the language needs a major revision.
The authors claim that not much research has been done emotions in interpreting and identify it as a gap in research. Please check Hubscher-Davidson (2021). However, as their title suggests they deal with FLCA in an interpreting class. It is not clear how much different it is from a learner’s perspective to be in an interpreting class or a general language class where the student is put on spot and have to speak spontaneously. The perceived causes of anxiety are comparable to other language speaking/learning contexts (e.g. fear of making mistakes; poor language proficiency; lack of confidence; not remembering the right vocabulary, etc.) To what extent is interpreting a cognitively more complex task than interactive speaking?
The authors found that learners in their study are more anxious than those in other studies. I understand that due to methodological differences it is difficult to compare these findings with previous research, however, see Bárkányi (2021) who found in a non-formal asynchronous context high level of anxiety. Most of her informants were self-conscious when speaking with native speakers which is a comparable situation. The same study links motivation and anxiety.
The distinction between self-efficacy beliefs and self-reported competence also has to be made clearer.
Data collection and data analysis is sound and clear. The authors also make valuable contribution regarding the mitigating strategies students apply like deep-breath, self-talk, etc. This part however is not developed in depth.
I suggest that the title is shortened and streamlined. Maybe: Emotions and competence of Chinese interpreting majors //or Affective factors and competence in interpreting training.
I recommend the References to be given in alphabetical order.
The paragraph before 2. Research Questions seems contradictory. The authors acknowledge that the topic is widely researched only that not exactly in this type of class. What is particular about this learning context?
The introduction to the Research Questions (RQs) should also be simplified and not given a general introduction starting in the 1970s. I think RQ 4 is two questions or three questions as it asks the causes behind: 1. anxiety; 2. enjoyment; 3. self-efficacy in learning.
The text must be thoroughly revised by a native English speaker. Here I give a non-exhaustive list of errors.
p. 1. bottom
Of existing studies on emotions, most focus… à Most studies on emotion focus on the …
p. 4 low-middle
110 accredited signed language à accredited sign language
p. 6 top
The program of Bachelor’s Degree in Translation and Interpreting (BTI) has been offered in 270-odd universities… à The program of Bachelor’s Degree in Translation and Interpreting (BTI) has been offered in around 270 universities in China… (or over 270 universities)
Also please delete the comma at the end of the sentence.
p. 6 Participants
It is not clear what the authors mean by “intact” interpreting
p. 7 bottom
half participants à half of the participants
p. 10 3rd paragraph
not interested in in interpreting à not interested in interpreting
The first three paragraphs of the Discussion in my version are in bold. They shouldn’t be.
References
Bárkányi, Zsuzsanna (2021) ‘Motivation, self-efficacy beliefs and speaking anxiety in language MOOCs’. ReCALL 33(5): 143–160.
Cai, Rendong, Jiexuan Lin, and Yanping Dong (2023). ‘Psychological Factors and Interpreting Competence in Interpreting Students: A Developmental Study’. The Interpreter and Translator Trainer 0, no. 0: 1–18.
https://doi.org/10.1080/1750399X.2023.2182590
Hubscher-Davidson, Severine (2021) ‘Emotions and the affective side of Translation and Interpreting’ EST Newsletter 59.
Author Response
Dear sir/madam,
please see the attachent.
thank you so much.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
