Strategies Of Short-term Memory In Interpreting: From The Perspective Of Gile's Effort Models

An interpreter is a bridge between the speaker of source-language and the listener of target-language, similarly short-term memory is a band between source-language and target-language in interpreting. Therefore a skillful interpreter is expected to have a powerful short-term memory.During interpreting, short-term memory plays an important role. In discussing the qualifications required for an interpreter, Phelan (2001:4-5) mentions that:"The interpreter needs a good short-term memory to retain what he or she has just heard…". In the memory stage of interpreting, interpreter need good short-term memory to store information; in the production stage of interpreting, interpreter cannot retrieve the storing information and decode it into target language without a good short-term memory.This thesis takes short-term memory as its research issue. According to Gile's Effort Models, short-term memory is an essential part in the process of interpreting which could be re-postulated into Encoding of information from source language, Storing information, Retrieval of information, Decoding information into target language. This thesis holds that interpreter takes advantage of short-term memory not only in the encoding stage but also in the decoding stage. Furthermore Gile's Effort Models is the theory perspective of this thesis.Generally speaking, based on an overview of interpreting, this thesis at first analyzes the status of short-term memory in interpreting from the respective of Gile's Effort Models; moreover the two factors of affecting short-term memory quality are the limitation of short-term memory and the influence of interpreting context; then this thesis presents the strategies of improving short-term memory including the long-term strategies, during preparation before interpreting and in onsite interpreting.The thesis is composed of five chapters.The thesis starts with Chapter One, it holds the study on interpreting including its definition, categories and characteristics as well as the significance of study. Interpreting refers to oral translation message from one language into another. Interpreting belongs to translation which is a kind of cross-social, cross-linguistic and cross-cultural communicative activity. It is well known that interpreting focus on accuracy, fluency and quickness, while translation is particular about faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance. Generally interpreting consists of consecutive interpreting and simultaneous interpreting and its characteristics consist of "verbal, immediacy and onsite".And the Chapter Two is the theoretical framework which analyzes Gile's Effort Models and its interpretation efforts. According to Gile's Effort Models, interpreting could be re-postulated into Encoding of information from source language, Storing information, Retrieval of information, Decoding information into target language. Moreover Gile describes clearly three main components or Efforts:a listening and comprehension effort, a speech production effort, and a memory effort.Followed by Chapter Three, it introduces an overview of short-term memory, the relationship between short-term memory and interpreting, emphasize the importance of short-term memory in interpreting. Short-term memory refers to the capacity for holding a small amount of information in mind for a short period of time whose commonly-cited capacity is 7±2 elements. The duration of short-term memory is believed to be in the order of seconds. As an essential part of interpretation, short-term memory undoubtedly takes a very important role in interpreting. Short-term memory is proven to contribute to the two modes of interpreting process:consecutive and simultaneous interpreting. Certainly because of the shortage of time, simultaneous interpreting becomes more difficult than consecutive interpreting, what's more the former relies more on short-term memory than the latter. Based on the definition and characteristics of short-term memory, this chapter analyzes the status of short-term memory in regard to the status of short-term memory in consecutive interpreting, and the status of short-term memory in simultaneous interpreting. Their relations are not identical but similar.Then the fourth chapter analyzes the factors of affecting short-term memory quality in interpreting, on one hand it is because of the limitations of short-term memory, such as limited capacity, rapid loss of information, temporal organization and surface-based information; on the other hand is the influence of interpreting context on short-term memory, such as attention distraction, flexibility of information, mental pressure and forgetting.The thesis ends with Chapter Five, this chapter analyzes three factors strategies of improving short-term memory in interpreting which are based on Gile's Effort Model:long-term strategies, such as retelling exercises, visualization exercises, shadowing exercises, encyclopedic knowledge and strong bilingual basic skills; the strategies during preparation before interpretation, such as scanning reading the draft and preparation for specialized vocabulary; and strategies in onsite interpreting, such as proper allocation of attention, activating relevant long-term memory, pressure release and application of note-taking. It gives us many strategies of improving short-term memory in interpreting and suggests us to apply the short-term memory strategies to interpreting practice. To sum up, practice makes perfect, short-term memory can only be improved step by step. Combining Gile's Effort Models and short-term memory, this core purpose of this thesis is to explore the strategies of improving short-term memory including three phases such as long-term strategies, during preparation before interpretation and in onsite interpreting. At last it is a brief conclusion of the whole thesis.