Difficulties Perceived By Interpreter Trainees In Consecutive Interpreting

Due to unavailability of SI equipment and shortage of SI professionals, despite the popularity of simultaneous interpretation (SI) in international community for its better performance in achieving time-efficient communication, consecutive interpreting (CI) still enjoys great popularity in various intercultural situations, because CI provides greater accuracy and equivalence than SI. However, few empirical studies on interpreting have been carried out in China.This study investigates the difficulties encountered by the interpreters in E/C C/E consecutive interpreting and the coping tactics to handle these difficulties. Eight senior year English major students who have been taking interpreting training for one and a half years took part in this observational study. Data are collected including the video and audio recording of their interpreting, the stimulated recall and the interview. The data are analyzed within the framework of Daniel Gile's Effort Model and Schema Theory.The major findings are as follows:1. Difficulties are universal in consecutive interpreting. It could occur in the listening, not-taking, note-reading and production stage during interpreting. 2. The possible causal factors of these difficulties include high semantic density, lack of background knowledge on the specific subject, lack of equivalence in the target language, etc.Therefore, the interpreting training should emphasize on the English proficiency and note-taking skills of the interpreters. Interpreters should search for information related to the specific subject to help the listening and understanding of the topic.