A Study Of The Impact Of Note-Taking On English-Chinese, Chinese-English Consecutive Interpreting

Consecutive Interpreting as a commonly used type of interpreting, offers no possibility for interpreter to think and revise the source language over and over again. It delivers all the messages at once and works instantaneously. To produce the target language, it is necessary to depend on the short-term memory and note-taking of the interpreter. Therefore, the role of note-taking in consecutive interpreting should not be underestimated.The study of note-taking has long been a concern and high priority in the west, while in our country, experts and scholars have also made much progress in this area. Unfortunately, due to the limitations and differences of interpreter, as well as the unpredictable variables in the process of interpreting, the study of note-taking still falls behind any other interpreting related theories. Thus, this passage adopts practice report form, combining with practice experiences to analyze and summarize real cases thoroughly. Focus will be place on the choice of note-taking and how does it affect the quality of English-Chinese and Chinese-English consecutive interpreting.By introducing the necessity and importance of note-taking, this paper aims to discuss the influence and the choice of note-taking. First it takes Gile’s, Seleskovitch’s and Mr. Lin’s conceptions as the theoretical frame, designing the reference variables (number, key word, symbols and form etc.) in the process of interpreting. Then adopts commonly used interpreting materials (prime minister in press, Boao Forum address, Harvard speech etc.) to analysis the statistics of experiment data, finally testifies and summarizes note-taking’s significance and the choice of note-taking to the accuracy, fluency and promptness of interpreting.The thesis arrives at the conclusion that, there’s no necessity to take all the messages down, but pick precise and short ones; it is essential to choose certain keywords words like, names or numbers, and select the conjunction and adversative words which specifying the logical structure in textual level; it depends on individuals to choose the target language or source language or both as notes; it is helpful when choose the systematic, consistent and symbolic notes than the temporary and over personalized one; it is convenient to choose vertical and indented style notes.Above all, note-taking in consecutive interpreting is a meaningful subject worthy drawing more attention and study. On the basis of previous studies, this paper focuses more detailed analyses and studies on the choice of note-taking in consecutive interpreting, which testifying the correct choice of note-taking can make translation work more accurately, fluently and promptly. It has some certain realistic sense to the theory as well as practice.