Laura Babcock
About me
I'm an assistant professor of Interpreting studies at the Institute for Interpreting and Translation Studies, Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism at Stockholm University. In 2015, I defended my dissertation in the field of Cognitive Neuroscience at the Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA) in Trieste, Italy. My dissertation explored cognition and brain structure in relation to conference interpreting skills through a longitudinal study of conference interpreting students and a comparison of professional conference interpreters and multilinguals. My research continues to explore cognitive and neural aspects of interpreting experience and multilingualism generally.
Teaching
At TÖI, I teach primarily within the Conference Interpreting program. I also teach courses at the Advanced level, namely Interpreting - An overview course and Current research in interpreting. Additionally, I guest lecture on topics from multilingualism to practical applications of MRI research.
I also supervise students at the MA and PhD levels with theses on interpreting.
Current PhD supervision:
Thomas Thomsen whose PhD project investigates the effects of directionality and possible asymmetrical language proficiency on Swedish/Spanish dialogue interpreters' cognitive processes.
Research
My research investigates how multilingualism, and particularly interpreting experience, influence cognition and brain structure.
My doctoral research focused on conference interpreting experience through a longitudinal examination of students looking at both their cognitive abilities and brain structure before and after their conference interpreting education. Additionally, I examined the cognitive abilities of professional conference interpreters compared to multilingual individuals. My doctoral research produced the following publications (within the interpreting field):
Babcock, L., Capizzi, M., Arbula, S., & Vallesi, A. (2017). Short-term memory improvements after simultaneous interpretation training. Journal of Cognitive Enhancement, 1(3), 254-267.
Babcock, L. & Vallesi, A. (2017). Are simultaneous interpreters expert bilinguals, unique bilinguals, or both? Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 20(2), 403-417.
Babcock, L. & Vallesi, A. (2015). Language control is not a one-size-fits-all languages process: Evidence from simultaneous interpretation students and the n‑2 repetition cost. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 1622.
More recently, I have collaborated with Alexis Hervais-Adelman to develop a neurobiological model of simultaneous interpreting.
Hervais-Adelman, A. & Babcock, L. (2020). The Neurobiology of Simultaneous Interpreting - Where extreme language control and cognitive control intersect. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 23(4), 740-751.
Currently, I am interested in exploring the cognition and brain structure of dialogue interpreters as well as the neurobiology of the dialogue interpreting process. I also continue to explore how the brain manages multiple languages and how it in turn is sculpted by particular language experiences.
Additional research of interest:
Vallesi, A.* & Babcock, L.* (2020). Asymmetry of the frontal aslant tract is associated with lexical decision. Brain Structure and Function, 225, 1009–1017.
