Anxiety and Interpretation: A Case of Iraqi Students of Translation

Abstract

The present study aims at examining the existence of interpretation anxiety as a distinct phenomenon from general foreign language anxiety, and then state levels of anxiety students of translation experience. A null hypothesis that both types of anxiety are similar is suggested and then examined based on the responses of thirty-six Iraqi students of translation to two scales: Horwitz, et al’s. FLCSA (1986) , and Chiang’s ICAS (2006). It has been found that interpretation anxiety and FL learning anxiety are distinct though related. The results also indicate that there is a positive correlation between the two scales when Pearson moment-product correlation coefficient is used (r=.450, n=33,p<.01).Levels of anxiety (high, medium , and low) are found in both scales; the highest percentage was for medium level (66.67 % and 66.1 % , respectively). ‘Fear of negative evaluation’ is the most anxious part in both scales. Also, it is found the subjects are less anxious to FLCAS than ICAS. On the basis of the results, pedagogical implications are also introduced.