Exploring SI Strategies Through An Analysis Of SI Process

By exploring and analyzing the process of simultaneous interpreting (SI), this paper lays emphasis on tapping possible strategies that a qualified SI interpreter is supposed to acquire. With a view to offering a new perspective to the study and training of SI strategies, this paper presents to the readers the complex, time-constrained SI process at double levels: sequential process of SI and parallel process of multiple-task performance from the perspective of human cognition and psycholinguistics in particular.The sequential process of SI is, at the macro-level, mapped onto three major linear phases: speech comprehension, concept shifting and output production. At the micro-level, the sub-stages at each phase are further elaborated by giving an analysis on the micro-cognitive operations involved in SI and factors influencing SI interpreters'performance, such as interpreters'pre-existing world knowledge, linguistic knowledge of both SL and TL, and schemata. Based on the process analysis, concrete tactics and coping strategies accompanied at each sub-stage are proposed and accounted for, such as interpreters'ignoring their own voices, preferred liberal translation, anticipation, chunking, regulation of EVS, syntactic variation, etc..With regard to the parallel process, an inquiry from a panoramic and synchronic view is conducted based on the theories of working memory and Gile's Effort Model in terms of the nature of multiple-task performance, the causes of its difficulties and failures, and coping strategies like divided attention, compression and advance preparation.Reviewing the cognitive process of SI at both levels, it is concluded that the required knowledge structure an SI interpreter should have consists of three essential aspects: 1) language proficiency in both SL & TL, the prerequisite for successful SI performance; 2) extra-linguistic knowledge, the guarantee for successful information decoding, retrieval and storage; 3) coping tactics and strategies, which accounts for the reason why even a perfect bilingual may not become a qualified SI interpreter, thus should be the focus of any...