The Interplay Between Foreign Language Anxiety, Willingness to Communicate and Other Learner Factors in Tertiary Interpreting Classrooms

Abstract

Interpreting is an act of oral communication. Factors such as confidence and ability in oral communication are therefore held as important in the selection and cultivation of potential interpreters. However, there has so far been little research supporting the link. This study thus aims to fill the gap by investigating the effect of foreign language anxiety, willingness to communicate (WTC) and other learner factors in a tertiary translation and interpreting programme. Participants of the study included 83 undergraduate students at a university in Hong Kong. A questionnaire was applied, which was developed based on existing measurements of the variables under investigation. The study identified significant correlations between foreign language anxiety and students’ interpretation learning outcomes, foreign language anxiety and WTC. Both foreign language anxiety and WTC were found to significantly correlate with many other factors concerning the learning of interpreting. The study provides important pedagogical insights to tertiary interpreting education.