Anxiety and Self-Efficacy within Interpretation

Abstract

Literature on foreign language anxiety and interpretation anxiety suggests such anxieties negatively impact student and practitioner performance in language and interpreting classrooms and in the field. Self-efficacy has recently been identified as a potential anxiety-mitigating factor. However, there is little research on techniques aimed at increasing self-efficacy in an interpretation context. The purpose of this pilot study is to examine what impact a combination of SMART goal-setting and Mastery Rehearsal script writing may have on novice American Sign Language (ASL)-English interpreters’ levels of self-efficacy and anxiety in relation to interpreting tasks. There are three participants, two receiving the specified intervention and one engaged in mentorship, who completed the study. For the one participant who completed the entire research period, results suggest setting SMART goals and writing Mastery Rehearsal scripts were as effective as mentorship in increasing self-efficacy and self-confidence, as well as reducing overall interpreting anxiety. Further research with a larger sample size is needed to support these findings.