An Analysis Of Effort Distribution In E-C Multimodal Consecutive Interpreting

Multimodality has been an intrinsic part to interpreting.Interpreters should possess the ability to appropriately use all kinds of visual aids,be it in the forms of Power Point slides,video footage,facial expression,or body language.As an important object in the study on multimodality,visual aids like the powerpoint slides receive increasing attention.Generally speaking,Power Point is one of the most commonly applied tools that possesses accessibility to various resources.Specifically,slides are the most obvious visual factor to notice in interpreting when the author,a novice interpreter,has too limited capability to pay attention to others.Therefore,this thesis is a report based on one consecutive interpreting experience for an educational psychology course where Power Point was used by the speaker.Based on qualitative analysis,the thesis assesses on the performance of the interpreter by comparing transcription of the recording with the slides,then identifies specific problems with the help of notes.The author studied the two sides of the effect that slides might bring to interpreters.First of all,slides work as assistance,facilitate interpreters’ understanding,help to establish clear structure in their output and offer more alternatives to interpreters.Then slides could also be an impediment in some cases,leading to irresolute focus,confusing note-taking and ambiguous logic.With the theoretical basis of the Multimodality and Effort Model,the author offers his suggestion on effort distribution and note-taking in CI with multimodality in the thesis.In the comprehension phase,an interpreter should firstly always pay attention to what he or she hear,meanwhile match the visual content to the audio one,then decide the dependence on slides accordingly.In reformulation,an interpreter should take full advantage of the digital devices to promote a higher efficiency of using the note system and to exert the supplementary role of the slide.