On Conference Interpretation: The Properties And Strategies Of Shift In Modes Of Thinking

From the theoretical aspect, first of all, the author has conducted a systematicexpatiation on the relationship of thought and language, exploring its influence uponlanguage diversity. To enunciate it clearly, thought and language are influencingmutually in the way that language is the instrument of thought and thought determinesevery aspect of language. The diversity of language is originated from the discrepancyof the modes of thinking in various ethics. Meanwhile, the theory of worldview,suggested by Humboldt, sheds light on the manifestation of the unique thinkingpatterns of each ethic on its language. Based on this, the author gives a furtherexplanation and analysis on the description given by Humboldt on translation processand the interpretive model proposed by Paris translation school. From it, the rules andproperties pertaining to the interpretive process are scrutinized and summarized,which lead to the conclusion that the interpretive process is the shift of modes ofthinking in nature.As for the conference interpretation, frequently, it is held in the form ofconsecutive interpretation. The data and material for this research are taken from thepress conferences of NPC and CPPCC in recent years. Through these authenticexamples, the author would like to draw the attention of meaning extraction, for thedeverbalization pointed out by Paris school, after language forms is taken off, it is themeaning that remains in interpreter’s mind. The meaning retention plays a significantrole in the shift in modes of thinking. Therefore, the second part of the paper startswith the illustration of interpretive model of Paris translation school and the strategyof meaning extraction, which, the author believes, is the core issue of realizing thesmooth shift of modes of thinking between two languages.There is no denying that the success of the shift lies in taking on the thinkingpattern of TL (target language) for the meaning. As explained above, differentthinking patterns determine the differences in language structures, which pose a challenge for all interpreters who need to take the proper strategies to accomplish theshift. Needless to say, the nature of interpretive process is shift in modes of thinking,which determines every aspect of interpretation and needs attention in bothinterpretive practice and teaching. On the basis of it, the author further uses thecomparison of thinking patterns of Chinese and English to elucidate the attributesbound to both languages. From the angle of philosophical and cultural influence onlanguage respectively, the article renders the analysis on several pair comparisons,such as perceptive thinking&rational thinking, thinking in images&thinking inlogics, subjective thinking and objective thinking and integral thinking and fractionalthinking, which provide an overall guidance of the interpretive practice research in theproperties of shift in modes of thinking and the relevant strategies adopted byinterpreters on delivering process.