University of Santo Tomas
Studies on Forensic Linguistics: Court Interpreting, Plagiarism Detection, and Readability and Comprehensibility of Patient-Information Leaflets
This themed panel presentation highlights the crucial role of language in uncovering the truth and accessing justice. The first study explores the multiple roles of selected court interpreters in Metro Manila and how such multitasking affects their court interpreting performance. While performing various functions may be perceived to have a negative effect on interpreting quality, the results reveal that these roles generally empower a court interpreter prompting the successful execution of his/her roles. The next work provides a linguistic approach in plagiarism detection among academic papers submitted by selected postgraduate students. Findings show that machine detection procedures could only offer a part of what the human brain could handle, making it necessary to conduct a linguistic approach involving human judgment to plagiarism detection. The third paper discusses the readability and comprehensibility of patient-information leaflets (PILs) of common nonprescription medications found in Filipino households using the Coh-Metrix readability test, user-testing, and consumer-feedback elicitation. Findings indicate that the existing leaflets require high-level reading. Several consumers reported experiencing difficulty understanding the leaflets’ information, raising concerns over the suitability of these materials to the lay public.
Convener
Rachelle Ballesteros-Lintao is a full professor in the Faculty of Arts and Letters of the University of Santo Tomas (UST). She is the incumbent Chair of the Department of English and the Program Lead of the English Language Studies in the UST Graduate School. She is the Country Representative of Clarity, an international plain language organization. (rblintao@ust.edu.ph)
Panelists
On the Multiplicity of Roles of a Court Interpreter and Its Impact on Interpreting Quality
Raquel R. Jimenez is a faculty member of the Department of English, University of Santo Tomas (UST). Currently, she is finishing her degree in Ph.D. in English Language Studies at the UST Graduate School. She is a lifetime member of the Linguistic Society of the Philippines. (rrjimenez@ust.edu.ph)
On the Efficacy of Turnitin: Plagiarism Detection Through a Linguistic Analysis
Maria Arjie T. Domingo is a faculty member from the Institute of Arts and Sciences at the Bulacan Agricultural State College. She finished her Master of Arts major in English Language Studies degree at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in 2018. She is the Coordinator for Research in the institute and the Adviser of the school’s official student publication. (mariaarjietobias@gmail.com)
“What’s in my medicine?”: Evaluating the Readability and Comprehensibility of Patient-Information Leaflets of Selected Philippine Nonprescription Drugs
Anthony Lemuell S. Cabañas currently works as a content quality expert at a tech company where he develops and assesses company training and communication materials based on readability, comprehensibility, and usability standards. He holds a Master’s Degree in English Language Studies from the University of Santo Tomas, Manila. (anthonylemuellc@gmail.com)