Evaluation Of The Usefulness Of Level 2 Consecutive Interpreting Test Of China Accreditation Test For Translators And Interpreters-From The Prospective Of Communicative Language Testing Theory

With the further development of globalization and economic integration, China has a wide range of communication, cooperation and consultation with foreign countries over economic, social, cultural, educational and other fields. Interpreters as a bridge to communicate, play a very important role in it. As a result, many interpreting training centers and tests come into being under the growing demands of interpreters. However, the levels of interpreters vary and intermingle due to the lack of a set of standard mechanisms to identify the capacities of the interpreters and select qualified ones. The existing interpreting tests are still not insufficient enough in their normativeness and unity to sort out the excellent interpreters.Western scholars haven't launched the researches on interpreting tests until 1960s, which has been through three phrases: pre-scientific testing, psychometric-structuralist testing and communicative language testing, in which the communicative language testing model stressed the authenticity of tests and widely accepted. The thesis evaluates the Level 2 consecutive interpreting tests of CATTI from the perspectives of usefulness, aiming to point out the demerits and list possible improvements.Since its inception in 2003, China Accreditation Test for Translators and Interpreters (CATTI) has already occupied a place in all kinds of interpreting tests due to its authority and extensiveness, and is regarded as one of the three major translation qualifications / proficiency test, together with National Accreditation Examinational for Translators and Interpreters - NAETI, and Shanghai Post Credential for Intermediate/Advanced Interpreters. CATTI, as a newly-born interpreting test, has drawn a lesson from the current tests and carried forward the benefits of them at its early stage, and forms its own system of levels requirements and qualifications. Using the oral speeches of CATTI from 2003 to 2010 as corpus, the thesis evaluates the usefulness of the Level 2 Consecutive Interpreting Test based on Bachman's communicative language testing theory, trying to find out the possible demerits from the six qualities combined with the perspectives of design, content, administration and other aspects, and propose suggestions in order to improve it.After analyzing the past years' testing corpus, the author comes to the following conclusions: among the six qualities of usefulness, the test has gained itself the construct validity as it develops, while the other five qualities still possess their demerits and need improving as a result: the design of the test should be normalized, that is to say, the total amount of words should be fixed or slightly float so as to fit the test syllabus'1000 words regulation; the situational and communicative authenticity of the test is inadequate, and the use of real speeches and live recordings are strongly recommended; the impact of the test shows that it is in need of diverse topics, in addition, a videotape recording and a booth for the test takers is suggested to improve the practicality of the test.