A Report Of The Comparative Study On The Guiding Principles Of Note-taking In Consecutive Interpreting

With the development of China’s exchanges with the outside world, the demandfor interpreting is also on rise. Among all kinds of interpreting, consecutiveinterpretation is one of those applied widely. And note-taking is a necessarilyimportant skill for consecutive interpreting. With the advent of various qualificationstests, training sessions for interpreting and the establishment of MTI program, books,dissertations and papers are flooding out on the guiding principles of the note-takingwith the aim of helping the novices build up their own notes systems. But there areno definite answers about the effectiveness and acceptability of such principles.First, on the basis of trying to define the guiding principles in consecutiveinterpreting, the dissertation analyzes the relationship between the individuality andthe guiding principles. Then, a case study is conducted on the guiding principlesfrom three major aspects, i.e. what to note, when to note and how to note.Specifically speaking, the comparative study selects the principles suggested by thebooks of Gillies, Jones, Lin Chaolun, Wu Zhongming, Wang Tao, Lei Tianfang andChen Jing. In addition, the author adopts the literature analysis method and collectsthe statistics of the journal papers, dissertations and books. Followings are theconclusions which are expected to be helpful for the teachers’ teaching and thestudents’ self-studying:1. What to note:The notes should filter the information rather than take down everything. Interms of content, notes include independent elements, the key points (svo groups)and the logical links. From the perspective of grammar, the focus is on nouns whilefunction words, verbs, verb tenses and modal are not the priority.2. When to note:There are no sufficient comments or statistics about when should we start noting.But undoubtedly, we should note the listed words and independent elements as theyneedn’t efforts to analyze but form a burden for our memory. Things noted down should be those that have been be analyzed and understood. To keep up with thespeaker, the interpreter should note quickly when a sense group arises rather than thewhole sentence is completed.3. How to note:(1) The notepad: The size of the notepad depends on the conditions on the spot.But it should be blank and a few vertical lines are needed to segregate the notepadinto several parts in consideration for vertical arrangement.(2) The layout: All the people who have mentioned the layout of notes agree that itis more effective to arrange the notes vertically than linearly.(3) The symbols: About the use of symbols, it is agreed that it is necessary to usethe symbols appropriately. The novices are encouraged to develop their own symbolsystems and find a balance about the amount and kinds of symbols used in practice.(4) The language choice: There are diversions about the language choice. Be it thesource language or the target language, mother language or foreign language, therealways exist advantages and disadvantages. Practically, the interpreters may use onlyone language or both of them. So, we shouldn’t overemphasize the language choiceas long as it serves to the particular interpreter to its best.(5) The logic of the notes: The left-hand margin, verticality of lists, the recall lineand the ending line are accepted to a certain degree.