Miroslava Melicherčíková – Motivácia profesionálnych tlmočníkov
Miroslava Melicherčíková
Filozofická fakulta Univerzity Mateja Bela, Banská Bystrica
Motivation of professional interpreters and interpreting trainees/recent graduates: similarities and differences
This paper attempts to compare performance motivation among four groups (professional interpreters with longer and shorter experience, interpreting trainees and recent graduates). The main objective was to identify similarities and differences between the groups compared by using a psychological instrument: the Achievement Motivation Inventory (LMI). The data indicated that there were some similarities but also differences between the four groups. All four groups were very similar on two scales (eagerness to learn and goal setting). In terms of differences, overall, the highest mean scores were most often found in the group of professional interpreters with longer experience (more than 20 years); they dominated on six scales (persistence, dominance, confidence in success, internality, preference for difficult tasks, and independence). The professional interpreters with shorter experience (6 to 10 years) scored highest on four scales (compensatory effort, pride in productivity, self-control, and status orientation). The trainees had the highest mean scores on three scales (engagement, flow, and fearlessness). The recent graduates displayed the highest means on two scales (flexibility and competitiveness). These findings, although they only apply to a small research sample, suggest an association between length of experience and performance motivation scales: the longer an interpreter’s experience in the field, the higher their mean values.
Key words: motivation, professional interpreters, interpreting trainees/recent graduates, similarities, differences
