The Role Of Schema Theory In Interpreting Process And Implications For Medical Interpreting Teaching

Since the concept of "schema" was firstly put forward in1932, the schema theory has been developed and been applied in many fields such as cognitive psychology, linguistics, artificial intelligence. In the past several decades, it has been widely used in lots of researches on the second or foreign language teaching. For example, a great number of scholars have attempted to apply schema theory to research the problems of vocabulary, listening and reading comprehension, cultural communication, translation and interpretation in second or foreign language learning, and have gained plenty of achievements. Recently, the interpreting theories and teaching have made rapid progress at home and abroad, and interdisciplinary studies of interpreting and the interpreting teaching of other majors will become the certain tendency of the development of interpreting theories and teaching.Whereas, at present, it is still completely blank in medical interpreting teaching and practice, although there have been a few scholars trying to claim the necessity of opening the course of medical interpreting, they haven’t made out the practical methods and basis. Therefore, based on the features of medical English major and medical interpreting teaching, the author summarizes the outcomes of researches on schema theory and interpreting theories and teaching, and attempts to find the role of schema theory in interpreting proceeding and make an exploratory research on the implication from schema theory for medical interpreting teaching, with schema theory as theoretical foundation and interpreting teaching as practical foundation.This thesis consists of the following five parts:Firstly, there is an introduction, including research background, research motivation and significance, as well as the frame of the whole thesis.Chapter one is literature review, which summarizes the current situation of researches on the schema theory in west and China, and its application in foreign language teaching, including reading and listening comprehension, vocabulary teaching, culture, translation and interpreting teaching. Also, it introduces the current situation of researches on interpreting and application of schema theory in interpreting. And the weakness of the studies is discussed.Chapter two is one of the most important parts. It brings forward the theoretical foundation in detail—schema theory including its definition, modes and classifications. And it introduces basic information about interpreting, its definition, classifications, features and interpreting modes. On the basis, the author discusses the feasibility of schema theory in interpreting, and the important role of schema theory in each phase of interpreting process, providing a foundation for the following exploratory study.Chapter three is the exploratory study of the thesis. Firstly it discusses the current situation of medical interpreting teaching, its features as well as the teaching goal. According to the important role of schema theory in interpreting process and the specialty of medical interpreting teaching, the author explores the implications from schema theory for medical interpreting teaching from the three key factors in teaching process, namely, the students (including the required prerequisites and learning strategies), teachers and course books, with an expectation that the thesis can provide a new perspective for future research on the teaching of medical interpreting and arouse more scholars to participate in this research.Conclusion summaries the major findings and implications, and points out the disadvantages of this thesis. Besides, it also gives some suggestions for further research with the hope that medical interpreting teaching can be focused on and developed under the guidance of interpreting theories such as schema theory.