Is it harder to perceive coding artefact in foreign language items? - A study with Mandarin Chinese and German speaking listeners

MUSHRA listening tests for the evaluation of audio coded material often also include speech stimuli in a language the listener does not understand. However, it is not clear to what extent the lack of understanding and the unfamiliarity with that language and its phonemes may influence the listener's behavior during the test and his or her quality ratings. In a study containing German and Mandarin Chinese speaking listeners as well as items of these two languages we analyze how ratings and listening times are affected by the foreign language. Pooled over all conditions we find no significant differences in the ratings. However, for high quality items we find that compared to native listeners, non-native listeners need longer listening times and compare more between items.