The Interpretive Theory Of Translation: Significance And Reflections

Proposed by the Paris school of learning, the Interpretive Theory of Translation wasthe first theory that sought to infuse achievements of other branches of science,especially studies on cognitive psychology into its own researches and studies.Prescriptively speaking, the Sense Theory serves as a new guideline for interpretingpractices and assessment. At the current stage, the Sense Theory has already beenregarded as a major guiding principle in the training of interpreters, but itssignificance in the interpretation assessment, in contrast, is still insufficient. Therefore,the thesis also focuses on the discussion about how the Sense Theory can be betterintegrated into the assessment of interpretive performances. Descriptively speaking,however, the Interpretive Theory of Translation’s proposal of the Triangle Model hasbeen the inspiration of quite a few theorists of interpretation. By combining advancedcognitive psychological theories with the interpretations of the Triangle Model, theauthor seeks to prove the causal relationship between the involvement of cognitivepractices and the fluency as well as accuracy of oral translation. Nevertheless, theInterpretive Theory of Translation fails to validate some of its theories viaexperiments and tests due to a variety of reasons. Moreover, some of theirperspectives still remain to be discussed. Despite its continuous endeavor to prove thescientificity of the theory, few convincing evidences have been presented, and that iswhat the new generation of interpretive theorists should be working on in the decade(s)to come.