Native vs. non-native language fluency implications on multimodal interaction for interpersonal skills training

International audienceNew technological developments in the field of multimodal interaction show great promise for the improvement and assessment of public speaking skills. However, it is unclear how the experience of non-native speakers interacting with such technologies differs from native speakers. In particular, non-native speakers could benefit less from training with multimodal systems compared to native speakers. Additionally, machine learning models trained for the automatic assessment of public speaking ability on data of native speakers might not be performing well for assessing the performance of non-native speakers. In this paper, we investigate two aspects related to the performance and evaluation of multimodal interaction technologies designed for the improvement and assessment of public speaking between a population of English native speakers and a population of non-native English speakers. Firstly, we compare the experiences and training outcomes of these two populations interacting with a virtual audience system designed for training public speaking ability, collecting a dataset of public speaking presentations in the process. Secondly, using this dataset, we build regression models for predicting public speaking performance on both populations and evaluate these models, both on the population they were trained on and on how they generalize to the second population

Propaganda, survival, and living to tell the truth : an analysis of North Korean refugee memoirs

Recent international events have heightened global interest in the North Korean regime’s engagement with the world; however, information about North Korea remains largely nebulous, due to the continuing secrecy of the regime. This study provides a rich understating of North Korean refugee identity and gives voice to individuals who have experienced the oppressive conditions of North Korea, their often dangerous escapes via multiple countries, and nonlinear or frequently difficult times of readjustment. It takes as its focus the role and impact of deception in different stages of North Korean refugee life before, during, and after escape. Specifically, we examine how North Korean refugee memoirists discuss the topics of truthfulness and deception in their own words. Using thematic analysis, we discovered three primary themes, including discovering and dealing with propaganda, deceiving as a means of survival, and finding the truth and living to tell it. Lastly, we end with a call to action aimed at empowering survivor voices, utilizing information to create change in North Korea, and offering future directions for scholars, practitioners, and human rights advocates