Research On Press Conference C-E Interpretation From The Perspective Of Skopos Theory

In the context of globalization, interpretation, known as a bridge in interculturalcommunication, is playing an increasingly important role. As a matter of fact, the history ofinterpretation is almost as long as the history of humankind itself. Against the currentbackground, interpreter, as a globalized professional, has a bright prospect.However, in the field of research, compared with present studies on translation theoryand practice, studies on interpretation appear dreary. Moreover, the previous researches solelycentered on the translation of individual words, phrases, sentences and some unsystematictranslation skills and not much importance was attached to the translation strategies andtheoretical guidance. Actually, interpretation as a basic form of translation, is similar towritten translation in nature. Thus, theories applicable to the research on written translationmay also be feasible to the analysis of research on interpretation.The school of Skopos theorie believes that translation is an intentional human activity,and a purposeful communication in which both the readers’ and the clients’ requirements aresupposed to be taken into consideration. Meanwhile, Skopos theorie determines thetranslation approaches and strategies. This point of view is in keeping with the features ofinterpreting, which aims at providing relevant information to the receivers so as to realize itscommunicative function in the target context.Press conference interpretation, in nature, falls into the category of conferenceinterpretation. But it also bears the characteristics of diplomatic interpreting featured by beinghighly political, timely, and lowly flexible. Generally speaking, interpreters have receivedstrict professional training and gained all-round competence previously. Constrained by manyelements, interpreters find it really hard to avoid mistakes in the interpreting process. Theconsecutive interpreting at the press conferences for Premier Wen Jiabao, during the annualNPC and CPPCC sessions, set a relatively successful example for interpreting practice andstudies, thus they are of high academic value. Based on the analysis of correspondingaudio-video data of Premier Wen Jiabao’s press conferences as well as the study of plenty oftypical and successful interpretation examples, this thesis attempts to, on the one hand,expand the research domain of Functional Translation Theory; on the other hand, it aims to search for more theoretical support for interpretation studies and practice. The intention ofthis thesis is to provide a relatively new perspective for researchers on interpretation, with thehope of enriching the contents of interpretation studies and practice at large. Meanwhile, itcalls for the general public to pay more respect and attention to the interpreting career and theinterpreters.