BEYOND EXPLICITATION: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF WHY BEGINNER INTERPRETERS ADD CONTENT IN CONSECUTIVE INTERPRETING

Abstract

This study examines addition, meaning target-language content with no matching expression in the source, in the consecutive interpreting (CI) output of 32 beginner Thai interpreting students. The source was an authentic English-language talk about condiments, divided into 16 content segments. We identified 22 addition instances and classified each by grammatical category, structural position, source segment, and likely reason. Reasons were coded using a decision-tree scheme built on Klaudy's Explicitation Hypothesis (Klaudy, 1998), the Communication Strategies literature (Tarone, 1980), and Schema Theory in interpreting (Guo, 2023). Addition clustered in segments packed with specific facts, such as named entities, quantities, and time spans, rather than in segments built around one simple idea. Two raters classified the likely reason behind each instance independently and reached substantial agreement (Cohen's kappa = .777). Within this coding framework and this particular source speech, no instances were classified as audience-directed Explicitation/Clarification or as Lexical Compensation, contrary to what the explicitation literature would predict. Instead, addition was most often judged consistent with Comprehension-based Elaboration (50.0%) and Fluency/Naturalness Adjustment (40.9%), with a smaller share judged consistent with Background Knowledge Insertion (9.1%). For beginner interpreters working with dense source content, addition appears to come more often from comprehension breakdown than from the deliberate, audience-directed clarification strategies seen among professional translators. Theoretical and pedagogical implications are discussed.

Keywords: Consecutive Interpreting, Addition, Beginner Interpreters, Comprehension Errors