The Effects Of Memory Performance On Gist Interpreting: A Case Study

The relevance of memory to gist interpreting is recognized by the author of thisthesis through her gist interpreting practice in the Third Cross-Strait InterpretingContest. This thesis focuses on the effects of memory performance on gist interpreting.First, it discusses the definition, the process and the applications of gist interpreting.Then, it elaborates on the three memory systems, their relevance to gist interpretingand the facilitating effects of memory performance on gist interpreting. Based onhands-on experience, it moves on to illustrate the cause and effect relationshipbetween memory performance and the quality of gist interpreting. This thesis holdsthat interpreters rely on their memory performance to find out the gist of the sourcespeech and carry out gist interpreting. Among the manifestations of memoryperformance, visualization, de-verbalization, subject knowledge, contextualknowledge and shared experience help interpreters obtain the meaning of the sourcespeech. Tones, pauses, logical analysis, discourse markers, discourse types and genreshelp interpreters sort out the structure of the source speech. Tones, visual cues, logicalanalysis, discourse markers, discourse types and genres as well as contextualknowledge help interpreters capture the essential information of the source speech.The meaning, the structure and the essential information of the source speech make upthe basis, the framework and the substance of the gist respectively. This research isintended to provide useful insights into gist interpreting and delimit major areas ofmemory training in interpreting classrooms.