Analysis Of The Interpreter's Preparation: Its Cognitive Basis And Practical Significance

Nowadays, interpretation research has drawn more and more attention from researchers and interpreting educators. Some set focus on teaching methodology and evaluation of interpreting quality, with the purpose to cultivate and improve the interpreting skills. Some adopt research findings from other disciplines to enrich the interpreting theories and build models for interpretation. However, as to the preparation for interpretation, few studies have been conducted. Preparation is of great importance for interpreters. As the old saying goes, behind one minute on stage is ten years of practice. Every interpreter needs the preparation, which is the process of accumulating certain knowledge and upgrading skills.The thesis uses cognitive science as a source of reference to prove the significance of preparation, starting from the concrete preparation of the interpreter, and then classifying the preparation, finding its cognitive basis and finally falling on the practical guidance to the preparation.The purpose of this thesis is to show the application of cognitive research in interpreting research and practice. Four chapters are included. The introduction presents the basic objective, the background and the significance of the research. Chapter one expounds the concrete preparation for interpretation, dividing preparation into two types, namely, the long-term preparation and short-term preparation. Chapter two reviews the cognitive studies of interpretation and reveals the relationship between interpretation and cognitive science. Chapter Three addresses the central issue, searching for the cognitive basis for preparation from two perspectives, namely the interpreting theories and cognitive psychology. First, prove the existence of some elements in preparation from the interpretive theory, such as linguistic proficiency, knowledge accumulation, and so on. Second, point out problems and difficulties in interpreting on the basis of the research of Gile. Preparation, as a result, is proved to be a feasible way to alleviate and solve these problems. Third, from the angle of cognitive-pragmatic research conducted by Robin Setton, preparation shows its significance in promoting the comprehension of communicative meanings. On the basis of the analysis above, efforts are made to present the cognitive functions of preparation. Chapter four integrates the study above and proposes the practical suggestions to preparation.