Transcript (ATC) and pilots whose first language is not

Aviation Communication and
Language Technologies
Dominique Estival
Linguistics
University of Sydney
&
Brett Molesworth
Aviation
University of New South Wales
Pilot study  Linkage Grant ??
Miscommunication: a factor in many aviation accidents (Teneriffe 1977)
recognised by ICAO  English Language Proficiency test
1. potential miscommunication between Air Traffic Control (ATC) and
pilots whose first language is not English (EL2 pilot)
e.g. pilots misunderstanding a clearance given to another aircraft
as being meant for them.
2. ATC-pilot communication difficulties could be alleviated if both ATC
and EL2 pilots were made aware of potential communication problems,
e.g. intonation, rhythm and pauses are particularly problematic for
radio communication, but not adequately addressed in ELP test.
Results so far:
a. Communication problems do pose a threat to general aviation safety.
b. Most challenging communication problem for pilots is not with ATC,
but with other pilots.
Planned experiments
1.
Actual impact of English Language Proficiency
on effective radio communication?
2.
Causes of misunderstandings between EL2 pilots and ATC?
Subjects:
EL2 pilots of different proficiency levels
4 conditions: external (low traffic and high traffic)
internal (low workload and high workload)
Variables:
(1) accuracy of interpretation (comprehension)
(2) ability to repeat phrases (repetition).
Four possible outcomes:
Hear but not understand
Hear what you expect
Not hear
Partial hear
Proposed solutions
1. better communication strategies:
•
educate both ATC and Pilots about typical areas of
miscommunication
•
teach more effective communication strategies to ATC
and pilots
•
develop a computer based training tool to maintain
communication skills
2. technologies:
•
to identify potentially unclear or confusing messages
•
to alert ATC and pilots
D. Estival & B. Molesworth (2009). “A study of EL2 pilots’ radio communication in
the General Aviation environment”. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics. Vol.32, No.3.