| Working memory, together with notes, helps the interpreter in a series of processing tasks such as identifying, comprehending and storing messages of source language, and organizing, planning, expressing and monitoring messages of target language. Therefore, studies conducted in the concerned fields have become the hottest issues both in cognitive research and in interpretation research. However, previous studies mainly discussed the relationship between working memory and interpretation performance, the relationship between note-taking and interpretation performance respectively. What's more, few studies touch upon the topic from the perspective of Chinese EFL learners. Consequently, it is of great significance to explore the relationship among working, note-taking and interpretation performance of Chinese EFL learners in classroom context.With working memory as the theoretical framework and Chinese EFL learners as participants, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches, this study mainly touches upon the following topics: 1) the relationship between working memory and note-taking performance; 2) the relationship between note-taking and consecutive interpretation performance; 3) the relationship between working memory and consecutive interpretation performance.Two tests were conducted on Chinese EFL learners in this study. Fifty seniors from six classes majoring in English and English Education in a university in Jiangsu Province were recruited to participate in the tests——they first took an adapted version of Daneman & Carpenter's (1980) listening span test to measure their working memory capacity. After the test, the participants were grouped into low-span group, high-span group and average-span group according to their working memory capacity for further analysis. They also took a Chinese-English consecutive interpretation test, which was adopted from TEM8-2009 speaking and interpretation test. Their interpretation performance and note-taking performance were scored according to the grading criterion of the examination. Likewise, the participants were grouped into low achiever group, high achiever group and average achiever group based on their note-taking performance for further analysis. Later, 9 participants were chosen to take the in-depth interview to help explain the final results. The data of the two tests were processed by SPSS 16.0 for calculation and analysis.Findings of the study indicate: (1) There is no significant correlation between working memory capacity and the note-taking performance; no significant influence of working memory capacity is found on consecutive interpretation performance. (2) There is significant correlation between note-taking performance and consecutive interpretation performance for average and high achiever groups (grouped by participants'note-taking performance); while the correlation is not that significant for low achiever group. (3) No significant correlation is found between working and consecutive interpretation performance, i.e. working memory capacity has no influence on consecutive interpretation. The results of the present study do not support the view shared by many researchers that working memory capacity is the main factor that brings about differences in individuals'performance in such complex cognitive activities as language comprehension and interpreting. The possible reason may be that the current study is conducted in the context of classroom interpretation on Chinese EFL learners, who have not received so much professional training in working memory and note-taking as professional interpreters do. It is also found that participants'English language proficiency is also the direct factor that influences their consecutive performance. The study ends with the suggestion that in consecutive interpretation teaching and training, working memory, note-taking training and English language proficiency training should all be strengthened on the agenda.
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