On The Nature & Strategies Of Undergraduates' Interpreting Teaching In China-A Comparative Analysis Of Language Teaching & Professional Interpreting Training

With the soaring market demand for multi-level interpreters, interpreting training becomes a buzz word now. With unique advantages in quantity, quality, teaching resource, etc, foreign language departments of universities are now shouldering the heaviest responsibility to produce a large number of English majors equipped with basic interpreting skills. However, the teaching result is far from satisfactory to live up to the market expectation. To meet market demand for interpreters, there is an urgent need to improve undergraduates'interpreting teachings.Since undergraduates'interpreting teachings are often easily confused with language teachings and professional interpreting teachings, the author compares these three teachings, admitting their relationships while emphasizing their disparities. Then conclusion is made that undergraduates'interpreting teaching is to equip students with basic interpreting skills and general interpreting concepts so as to develop students'competence in low-level (technical-level) interpreting, i.e. escort interpreting and in-house interpreting. It is based on a certain level of language competence, which can be acquired from language teaching, while considered to be a low-level interpreting training and can be served as preparation stage for professional interpreting trainings.From case studies conducted in five English departments, adopting research methods of interviews, class observations, and questionnaires, the author discovers that there are two wrong tendencies in undergraduates'interpreting teachings: confusing it with language teaching, or confusing it with professional interpreting teachings. Therefore, misunderstandings about course nature and improper teaching strategies are main reasons for current unsatisfying teaching results. Finally, based on all the analysis as well as case study in previous chapters, tentative teaching strategies are proposed in regards to"what to teach"and"how to teach it".