scholarly journals Users’ Quality Expectations in Conference Interpreting

Author(s):  
Mansour Amini ◽  
Noraini Ibrahim-González ◽  
Leelany Ayob ◽  
Davoud Amini

This paper is part of an unpublished doctoral thesis on “Conference Interpreting in Malaysia”. Expectations of users were explored by an on-site questionnaire-based survey study in Malaysian conference interpreting setting. The relative importance of various linguistic and non-linguistic criteria for quality was obtained through quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. A reliable sample of 256 interpreting “users” (Cronbach alpha coefficient=0.81) were collected from five international conferences in Malaysia. Analysis of the results revealed that users attached high value to the linguistic criteria of sense-consistency with original message (94.1%), logical cohesion (91.1%), fluency of delivery (91%), correct terminology (89.8%), correct grammar (82.8%), completeness of interpretation (80.2%), synchronicity (73%), and style (70.5%) rating the criteria very important or important. The parameters of pleasant voice (60.9%), lively intonation (60.4%), and native accent (57.3%) were considered desirable, but not essential as they received the least importance by the users. Findings from the open-ended questions showed that users consider “wide range of topics” and “broadening one’s horizons” as the most interesting aspects of conference interpreting. Users indicated that they were willing to listen to the interpretation even if they understood it. These suggest that interpreters are seen as a professional source of knowledge from users’ perspectives. While stressing on the linguistic aspects and the importance of output-related quality criteria, the researcher calls for taking further notice of situational particularities and background variables, pragmatic communication issues, and contextual features with a more extensive view of the profession, in addition to the methodological issues that have always been argued in interpreting quality research.

Author(s):  
Mansour Amini ◽  
Saber Alavi ◽  
Davoud Amini

As part of an unpublished doctoral thesis on “Conference Interpreting in Malaysia”, this paper reports clients’ expectations and highlights the necessity of taking what they anticipate as ideal into consideration. The study tailored on-site and off-site questionnaire-based survey study in Malaysian conference interpreting setting. The relative importance of various quality criteria attached by 42 clients as well as their responses to open-ended questions, adopted from the established questionnaires, revealed the interpreting clients’ perspectives and expectations from interpreting quality. The analysis of data by scale analysis and codification of the open-ended responses into matrices showed that different clients might have different expectations. Clients rated terminology as the most important quality criterion and native accent as the least important. The most interesting aspect of interpreting profession was international contacts, while they rated speed and time constraints as the most difficult aspect of conference interpreting. Interpreters’ lack of faithfulness to the original was indicated as the principal shortcoming, whereas incorrect terminology and unfinished sentences were the most irritating aspects of conference interpreting in clients’ point of view.Their suggestions to improve quality were mostly interpreter-related such as training interpreters and updating their knowledge, as well as organisationalrelated aspects like cooperation of the clients, interpreters, conference organisers, and users.


Studies of animal behavior often assume that all members of a species exhibit the same behavior. Geographic Variation in Behavior shows that, on the contrary, there is substantional variation within species across a wide range of taxa. Including work from pioneers in the field, this volume provides a balanced overview of research on behavioral characteristics that vary geographically. The authors explore the mechanisms by which behavioral differences evolve and examine related methodological issues. Taken together, the work collected here demonstrates that genetically based geographic variation may be far more widespread than previously suspected. The book also shows how variation in behavior can illuminate both behavioral evolution and general evolutionary patterns. Unique among books on behavior in its emphasis on geographic variation, this volume is a valuable new resource for students and researchers in animal behavior and evolutionary biology.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-17
Author(s):  
V. P. Bui ◽  
◽  
S. S. Gavruishin ◽  
V. B. Phung ◽  
H. M. Dang ◽  
...  

A new technique is described, used by the authors to automate the design process of the main drive of a new generation machine intended for industrial washing of fruits and vegetables. To solve the problem of multi-criteria design, the original approach is proposed that uses interconnected mathematical models describing the dynamic behavior, strength reliability and functional characteristics of the machine in a unified information space. The generalized mathematical model includes 12 controlled parameters, 16 functional constraints, and 3 quality criteria. A genetic algorithm was used to find the space of Pareto-optimal solutions. The situational approach was used to select the final rational solution from a set of solutions belonging to the Pareto-optimal domain. The rational design of option the washer found using the proposed approach is compared with the existing ones. The proposed design methodology can be recommended for the design of a wide range of similar mechanical structures.


Author(s):  
Raditya Wratsangka ◽  
Rully Ayu Nirmalasari Haryadi Putri

Anemia is a global health problem with an extremely high prevalence and occurring in nearly 25% of the world population, particularly in the elderly group. Currently Indonesia is facing a rapid growth of the elderly population, with around 21 million elderly (8.2% of the total population), that is projected to increase to 33.7 million (11.8%) in the year 2025. Anemia in the elderly is frequently neglected, although the facts show that low hemoglobin concentration is an important marker of physiological decline and functional limitations. Although the factor of intrinsic aging may cause low hemoglobin concentration, anemia in the elderly is known to have a wide range w88ith regard to etiology, underlying disorders, and  possible mechanisms, such that it should be clinically followed up. Whatever its causes or underlying pathophysiological, anemia in the elderly has been proven to play a role in their morbidity and mortality, and may decrease their quality of life, that comprises all aspects of physical, mental, and social health, known as health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The impact of anemia on HRQoL has been studied in various populations, and most studies report the presence of an association between HRQoL and anemia in elderly individuals, which on the subscale level is particularly associated with physical health. Early diagnosis of anemia is important to prevent aggravation of the condition, to retard the progress of the disease, and to improve the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of the patient. Prior to determining the treatment plan, the primary diagnosis and the comorbidities, especially treatable disorders, had better be identified first. The available data show that the overall prognosis will improve for anemia in patients with well-managed and corrected chronic disorders.


Author(s):  
Tatyana Petrovna Budyakova ◽  
Galina Viktorovna Baturkina

The subject of this research is the question of balance in application of quantitative and qualitative methods of research in studying the problems of inclusive education and personality with special educational needs. The goal is to demonstrate that the use of qualitative methods gives objective results even on the small sample of persons under test. The novelty consists in proving the fact that qualitative methods of research have substantial priority in examination of inclusive problems of inclusive personality. The conducted empirical research illustrated that it is possible to effectively identify coping strategies for the students with limited health conditions as well as normotypical, using the autobiographical method on the small sample of persons under test. Analysis of the problems of inclusive education oriented towards considering inclusive needs of the students with disabilities can be efficiently realized using the methods that do not suggest studying the large array of information and wide range of participants of the research. The absence of quantitative data processing in qualitative research of inclusive education is not considered a shortcoming of such research.  


2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 404-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas J Biersteker ◽  
Sue E Eckert ◽  
Marcos Tourinho ◽  
Zuzana Hudáková

Targeted sanctions are increasingly used by the United Nations (UN) Security Council to address major challenges to international peace and security. Unlike other sanctions, those imposed by the UN are universally binding and relied upon as a basis for legitimating both unilateral and regional sanctions measures. Encompassing a wide range of individual, diplomatic, financial, and sectoral measures, targeted sanctions allow senders to target a specific individual, corporate entity, region, or sector, helping to minimize the negative effects of sanctions on wider populations. This article introduces the Targeted Sanctions Consortium (TSC) quantitative and qualitative datasets, which encompass all UN targeted sanctions imposed between 1991 and 2013, or 23 different country regimes broken into 63 case episodes for comparative analysis. Adding to existing datasets on sanctions (HSE, TIES), these new, closely interrelated datasets enable scholars using both quantitative and qualitative methods to: (1) differentiate among different purposes, types of sanctions, and target populations, (2) assess the scope of different combinations of targeted measures, (3) access extensive details about UN sanctions applied since the end of the Cold War, and (4) analyze changing dynamics within sanctions regimes over time in ways other datasets do not. The two TSC datasets assess UN targeted sanctions as effective 22% of the time and describe major aspects of UN targeted sanctions regimes, including the types of sanctions, their purposes and targets, impacts, relationships with other institutions, sanctions regimes, and policy instruments, mechanisms of coping and evasion, and unintended consequences.


Author(s):  
Rebecca Iles ◽  
Melanie Simms ◽  
Alistair Ledsam

Disorders spanning a wide range of body systems may, directly or indirectly, impact upon the orofacial tissues. Specifically, the oral mucosa may be the first, or most severely affected site of systemic disease, posing significant implications for oral health-related quality of life. It is not uncommon for patients to present to their GP with orofacial symptoms, therefore a firm understanding of how systemic disease can manifest in this way is important. This article will discuss oral mucosal presentations of systemic disease, aiming to improve understanding and recognition of these conditions, allowing appropriate referral for investigation, diagnosis and management.


2000 ◽  
Vol 18 (18) ◽  
pp. 3295-3301 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.B. Detmar ◽  
N.K. Aaronson ◽  
L.D. V. Wever ◽  
M. Muller ◽  
J.H. Schornagel

PURPOSE: This study investigated (1) the attitudes of cancer patients toward discussing health-related quality-of-life (HRQL) issues; (2) the association between such attitudes and patients’ characteristics; and (3) oncologists’ attitudes and self-reported behavior regarding these same issues. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two hundred seventy-three patients receiving palliative chemotherapy and ten physicians were asked to complete a series of questionnaires. RESULTS: Almost all patients wanted to discuss their physical symptoms and physical functioning and were also willing to address their emotional functioning and daily activities. However, 25% of the patients were only willing to discuss these latter two issues at the initiative of their physician. Patients varied most in their willingness to discuss their family and social life, with 20% reporting no interest in discussing these issues at all. Female patients were more reluctant to discuss various HRQL issues than male patients. Older and less well-educated patients were more likely to prefer that their physician initiate discussion of HRQL issues. All physicians considered it to be primarily their task to discuss the physical aspects of their patients’ health, whereas four physicians indicated that discussion of psychosocial issues was a task to be shared with other health care providers. All physicians indicated that they generally defer to their patients in initiating discussion of psychosocial issues. CONCLUSION: Although both patients and oncologists seem willing to discuss a wide range of HRQL issues, communication regarding psychosocial issues may be hampered by competing expectations as to who should take the lead in initiating such discussions.


2005 ◽  
Vol 143 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 183-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. COSTE ◽  
M. P. RAVENEAU ◽  
Y. CROZAT

A non-destructive indicator of seed water content could significantly help crop scientists with assessment of the effects of environmental conditions during drying on grain qualities or on seed physiological quality. This is particularly important for grain legumes which simultaneously bear pods of different ages. Visual assessment of pod colour has so far been used to date grain legume stages, but now colour can be easily and accurately measured with a portable spectrophotometer. Relationships between the spectrophotometer measurements and the pod and seed water contents were tested in various climatic contexts (3 years: 2000, 2001, 2002; field or greenhouse, two or three sowing dates) for two bean cultivars (Booster and Calypso) and also for one pea cultivar (Baccara) in 2003 near Angers, France. Among the different spectrophotometer measurements, hue angle (h) clearly shows the transition from green (h=180 °) to yellow (h=90 °) and then to red (h=0 °). In each context, h and seed water content (SWC) relationships showed the same pattern of three linear phases: first a steady state; then a sharp decrease from green (h=106–108 °) to yellow (h=85–93 °) just before the end of the seed filling stage for Booster or between the end of the seed filling phase and the beginning of seed drying for Calypso and pea; finally, a slow decrease from yellow to ochre (h=75–78 °) during seed drying. For each bean cultivar, the parameters of the linear relationships showed no differences between maturation conditions. Therefore, 6 h classes matching six SWC classes could be defined over a wide range of SWC between 0·56 and 0·2 g/g for Booster. However for Calypso and pea, only 3 h classes could be defined because of the tight relationships between h and SWC during the end of seed drying, which can be explained by pod walls drying faster than seeds. Hence, spectrophotometer measurements, if calibrated for a given cultivar of a species, could now be used to select pods with seeds of the same water content and therefore to study environmental effects on quality criteria either in controlled conditions or in the field.


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