An Empirical Study Into Shadowing As An Exercise In SI Training

In this thesis, the author attempts to conduct an empirical study on the role of shadowing exercise in the acquisition of simultaneous interpreting (SI). As a regular part of SI training program, shadowing is always considered a crucial start-up for novice interpreters. This empirical study sets out to justify the rationale of its inclusion in the interpreting curriculum and to identify its potential effects on SI acquisition.The thesis is composed of the following chapters:Chapter One serves to conceptualize the basic notions pertinent to this study, and presents an overview of the strength and weakness of the past study.Chapter Two explores the theoretical underpinnings supportive of the current research. It first introduces the descriptive framework of the Effort Model by Daniel Gile, within which the present study is contextualized, and then elucidates the theories of working memory and listening comprehension from a cognitive perspective.Chapter Three and Four report the empirical study conducted by the author at the College of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Xiamen University. Quantitative analyses are applied to the test results on digit span, phrase span, and proposition recall. The study reveals that: 1) Shadowing exercise helps SI students improve their expertise, such as higher availability of words and more efficient pattern of processing and storing the incoming information, so that their working memory functions better in the expertise-related tasks; 2) It has more significant effect on multi-task listening than on mono-task listening.Chapter Five is the conclusion of the thesis. It reviews the previous chapters and proposes the pedagogical implications and limitations of the present study.