The digital boothmate in an educational setting: students’ experience with SmarTerp

This study investigates the impact of the ASR-AI Computer-Assisted Interpreting (CAI) tool SmarTerp on simultaneous interpreting (SI) performance in an educational setting. Its novelty lies in a multi-measure approach, whereby subjects were tested for CAI-enhanced performance, CAI-induced stress, and tool usability and satisfaction. Following a review of cognitive challenges in SI and problem triggers, we describe the experiment, which involved 24 interpreting students at the University of Bologna, tested with and without SmarTerp support, after specific training with this CAI tool. Performance was assessed at the trigger (e.g. numbers, terms, named entities) and sentence levels. Statistically significant improvements at trigger level with the CAI-tool included increase in correct renditions (p< 0.0001) and decrease in omissions (p=0.002) and semantic errors (p< 0.0001) already from the first test session. The same trend was detected at sentence level. Students reported general satisfaction with the tool’s usability and support but emphasised the need for specific training and improvements in tool latency. Although overreliance and occasional distraction were noted, the findings confirm that CAI tools like SmarTerp can enhance SI performance when properly integrated into interpreter training. The study advocates for more empirical research and tailored training to optimise digital support in interpreter education.