What Does The French Interpretive Theory Need To Prove In China's Mainland?

The interpretive theory (le theorie du sens), which emerged in the 1960s, focuses mainly on conference interpreting, interpreter training as well as non-literary text translation. According to the theory, sense is the very unit to be transferred. The equivalence of sense would not be maintained unless the interpreter ignores or even gets rid of linguistic differences. As viewed from another perspective, interpreting in China's mainland, still in the initial phase of professionalization, is subject to China's language and culture specificity, and therefore cannot follow this Western theory blindly or mechanically.The thesis aims to make a re-assessment of the applicability of the interpretive theory in the Chinese context. The Author firstly pinpoints the potential triggers that cause non-correspondence in linguistic meaning during the information interchange under an integrated analysis of the code model of verbal communication and the cooperative principle. It is these triggers in question that will constitute the main perspectives of the re-assessment. Secondly, by analyzing the linguistic differences between Chinese and English, the thesis questions the theory's core content, namely, deverbalization, coupled with reformulation. Meanwhile, the Author argues that deverbalization, the core link, will show some differences under the constraints of different interpreting settings and interpreting norms. Finally, diplomatic interpreting is discussed as a case study from a cultural perspective so as to further suggest that interpreting in special settings such as diplomacy may not necessarily reflect the basic principles advocated by the interpretive theory.Based on the said re-assessments, the thesis reaches the conclusion that interpretive theory needs adaptations in order to better explain and guide interpreting practice in the mainland of China.