Cognitive Overload In Consecutive Interpreting And The Coping Tactics

This interpreting practice report chooses a simulating interpreting practice as the analyzing material. The content of this report is the speech by Premier Li Keqiang at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in2013. The author imitates the real English-Chinese consecutive interpreting with this speech, and attempts to analyze this interpreting practice on the basis of the author’s experience and interpreting theories. Then, this report explores the problems which may be encountered in the consecutive interpreting, and proposes some available coping tactics.With the support of John Sweller’s Cognitive Load theory and Daniel Gile’s Efforts Model, together with the study of cognitive process of consecutive interpreting, this report gives the definition of cognitive overload phenomenon in consecutive interpreting. According to this phenomenon, the author analyzes the listening, memorizing, note-taking and producing parts in consecutive interpreting, and then explores the problems that may occur in consecutive interpreting which influence the interpreting quality under the impact of cognitive overload phenomenon. The problems often occur as pauses, errors, information missing, self-repair, and information redundancy. Therefore, in the light of the above study, a systematic analysis is made on the simulating consecutive interpreting, and some available coping tactics are offered to solve the cognitive overload phenomenon.This report consists of five parts. Part I is the general introduction and research review which mainly explores the current research concerning the interpreting and cognitive fields, then makes the definition of cognitive overload phenomenon and explores the incentives for such phenomenon. Part II offers the background and processes of this simulating consecutive interpreting practice. Part III explains the systematic analysis of the interpreting practice, and the problems appeared in this practice in the light of cognitive overload phenomenon. Then some related coping tactics are given to avoid such phenomenon in part Ⅳ. Part V is the summary of this report.