Research On The Lack Of Information In Chinese - English Communication And The Corresponding Tactics

Interpreters are supposed to follow the principle of “accuracy, quickness and fluency”, which means that interpreters should understand the source language, and then convey the whole meanings of it accurately in the target language within the shortest time. Because of the one-time input of the source language and immediate output of the target language, interpreters barely have time to revise or improve his interpreting. As a result, information loss is inevitable in the process of interpreting. The author of this thesis takes China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s speech at a press conference in 2015 as an example to evaluate the interpreting quality. By comparing the tapescripts of the thesis author’s interpreting with those of Mr. Wang’s interpreter’s interpreting, the thesis author would use some specific examples to analyze the causes of information loss in Chinese-English consecutive interpreting. The overloaded information of source language, the improper distribution of attention, the bilingual transfer incompetence and non-linguistic incompetence will result in the information loss. The author puts forward some specific strategies to cope with information loss. First of all, interpreters could and should familiarize themselves with some related linguist and extra-linguistic knowledge in advance to remove some obstacles of words and subject background. Second, interpreters could use some skills, such as adaptation, addition and conversion of word order to cope with information loss. In the end, interpreters could cope with information loss by receiving a systematic training in note-taking to balance it with listening.