Interpretation Methodology For Advanced English Majors

To meet the requirements of China's fast-growing development in a wide variety of foreign fields, China Education Ministry has issued the decree that interpretation be the compulsory course for any foreign language colleges and universities across China. However, "In China, the interpretation methodology is in its infancy, and it still stays at a stage of drawing experiences from learning and teaching and improving the teaching methods." (Mei Deming, 2001: XII) .According to the statistics issued in the year 1999, in China's mainland there are few specialized interpretation training schools. "At present, there are three universities specializing in teaching and learning of interpretation in China mainland: Translation Department of English Language College of Guangzhou Foreign Language and Foreign Trade University, Advanced Foreign Languages College of Beijing International Studies University, Xiamen University" (Mu Lei 1999:61) . (According to http://www.shisu.edu.cn, Shanghai International Studies University starts to found an Interpretation Department and admit students in 2003). In addition, the universities and institutions, which offer the course of interpretation, adopt miscellaneous teaching contents and methods without a uniform teaching program. "The study of interpretation teaching theory and methodology lags behind in terms of teaching principles, contents, and training methods and hours, it needs further exploration and improvement" (Fang Jianzhuang,1998) .For this reason, the China's translation circle has proceeded to explore the interpretation theories and compile interpretation textbooks. Many coursebooks on interpretation have been issued out. According to Liu Heping (2001: XXI) , they (the interpretation textbooks) are conducive to the enhancement of teaching and learning of this field, on the other hand, they are still bogged down in the empirical teaching modes, for instance, separation of theory from practice, overweight of language acquisition over logical thinking, elusive techniques immersed in empiricism, unable to make students draw inferences about other cases from one instance, interpretation material coated in formal written form.The objective of teaching of interpretation is to cultivate students' awareness of interpretation techniques. (Liu Beixiang, 1998) , enabling the students of interpretation to master the main skills of interpretation, to be familiarized with the interpretation process and features as well, to be acquainted with the qualifications of interpreters, or "the primary goal of interpretation is to equip the trainees with the essential mechanics of interpretation for their satisfactory and rapid access to the interpretation positions " (Liu Heping, 2001: XI) . In essence, how could the successful interpretations be used to guide the teaching practice in this field? The author of this thesis maintains that the educators engaged in the teaching of interpretation ate obligated to explore thesecrels of the competent interpretations and work out the effective and practical interpretation program so as to direct the interpretation training in a scientific manner, enhancing the result of teaching and learning of interpretation. In this lie the aim and significance of this thesis."It is only through the comprehensive efforts to explore the translation and interpretation activities in regards to their modes, features and elements could this subject serve as scientific study on translation" (Wang Kefei 1997: 4749). Translation and interpretation involve so many subjects as social linguistics, applied linguistics, psychology linguistics, cognitive psychology, nerve linguistics, philosophy, esthetics, communication, cross-culture and subject matters, which is called "science of translation " by Nida (1964: 3) . In light of the studies on science of translation by Nida, " Interpreter pour traduire" by Selskovithch , in particular, on "thinking science and interpretation reasoning methodology" by Liu Hepingj the author of this thesis, turns to English language lingui...