Empirical Study Of Lexical Similarity/Dissimilarity Between The Source Language And The Target Language In Simultaneous Intreting

Traditional interpretation theories hold that meaning-based interpreting is a more prominent feature of interpretation than form-based interpreting, which manifests itself in the fact that there is usually more linguistic dissimilarity than linguistic similarity between the source language and the target language. The processes involved in the two are often referred to as Deverbalization and Transcoding, the former being first raised and defined by the Paris School, with the view that Deverbalization is the norm or main process of interpretation.The idea of Deverbalization is widely acknowledged and used in interpretation practices and training. It is believed to enable interpreters to break free from the"shackles"of the source language and produce accurate and idiomatic rendition in the target language. However, only a few empirical studies have been done on Deverbalization, and only for the language combination of European languages. Virtually none has been done for the language combination of English and Chinese.Therefore, drawing on and adjusting the methodology used in Helle V. Dam's empirical studies, the thesis attempts to quantify the distribution of lexical similarity and dissimilarity between the source language and the target language. The result shows an overwhelming tendency towards form-based interpreting (85%). It also shows a certain degree of negative correlation between the percentage of correctly translated original language and the degree of lexical dissimilarity. The result basically coincides with that of Dam's experiment in 2000 but contradicts the commonly held view on Deverbalization.The methodology used here is based on that of Dam's experiment but with some revisions: the unit of measurement is redefined; the"middle layer"of measurement is removed. As a result, the lexical similarity and dissimilarity can be quantified more accurately. This experiment may offer some empirical evidence for interpretation theories. But of course, there is room for improvement regarding the methodology. This thesis suggests that timeline analysis may be used to gauge the influence EVS 3 (Ear-Voice Span) exerts on interpreter's option between Deverbalization and Transcoding and that interpreter surveys should be conducted immediately after the experiment to find out the reasons behind each case of Deverbalization.