On Consecutive Interpreting And Its Instruction: A Survey Study

This thesis is intended to investigate, through survey questions, the current situations in which consecutive interpreting programs are conducted in tertiary education institutes in China. The survey questions are designed in such a manner that they represent the thoughts of the "Paris School" and the "Gile Model". Findings in the survey of the eight consecutive interpreting programs confirmed Gile's assertions on the nascent stage of translator and interpreter training. The author argues that, since most consecutive interpreting programs offered by Chinese higher education providers have just emerged for a relatively short period of time as compared to translation programs, consecutive interpreting instruction programs are supposed to take the process-oriented pedagogy with emphasis on dynamic skill-building rather than the product-oriented teaching methods stressing static linguistic competence enhancement and encyclopedic knowledge expansion. Therefore, textbooks suitable for consecutive interpreting instruction, the thesis proposes, should be skill-based instead of being topic-centered.With a review of the profession of interpreting and its development and present profile in China, the thesis studies, under guidance of Interpreter Pour Traduire and the Gile Models, the process and characteristics of interpreting as compared to those of translation, to illustrate the differences between translation and interpreting.Interpreting has existed ever since human civilization started. It was not until the end of World War II, however, that the profession gained popularity in inter-lingual communication. The establishment of the United Nations further brought interpreting to the limelight in the conferences, forums, and debates held in various UN branches and organizations. Since the beginning of the latter half of the last century, interpreting has become an indispensable part of growing importance in smoothing over oral communication across linguistic boundaries.Interpreting in China also boasts of a long history. Interestingly, Chinese interpreters in ancient times have mostly worked for disseminations of religious thoughts. They interpreted for foreign monks and priests so that the religious doctrines could be transcribed in written forms for the target Chinese audience. Only after China had entered UN did interpreting become a profession to a smallnumber of government employees with dual identities: diplomat and interpreter. The reforming and opening-up policy that has been adopted in China for more than twenty years greatly increased contact with the world outside of China. When the need for qualified interpreting personnel grew to a certain extent, the establishment of interpreting programs in Chinese higher education was brought to considerations of the State Education Commission. In 2000, interpreting was made mandatory in all BA programs for English majors in China.The author's curiosity in interpreting research and instruction is thus triggered. An examination of the profile of interpreting research and instruction in China informed the author that there is still much to be desired. Research achievements, so far, have been marked with a strong spontaneous, empirical, and unorganized nature. Interpreting instruction, which has started in most Chinese institutes of higher learning for a short period of time and has borrowed heavily from translation training, needs optimization. The author then decided to study the relationship between translation and interpreting.Though sharing much in common, translation and interpreting differ in various ways. First, their working media are different. Translators work on written language while interpreters deal with spoken language. Second, translators and interpreters work in different modes. Translators have the privileges of retreating from the work for later efforts, seeking help from colleagues, and pondering over diction. Interpreters, by contrast, have to rely on themselves alone and they are always pressed for time on job. Third, translators and interprete...