Study On Skill-focused Approach To Undergraduate Interpreting Teaching For English Major In Ethnic Universities And Colleges

In recent years, there has been a boom in the interpreting researches in China, but when we extend our horizon to the whole country, scarcely could we find researches on undergraduate interpreting for English majors in ethnic universities and colleges. Comparatively weak as it is in terms of basic knowledge of language, the interpreting teaching emphasis is usually turned to the language practice and improvement, ignoring the essence of interpretation. Currently, the study on feasible interpreting training mode for English major undergraduates in ethnic universities and colleges has bright prospects.With Danica Seleskovitch’s Interpretive Theory (1989), Gile’s Effort Models(1995)and Anderson’s ACT-R theory (1995) as the theoretical foundation, following the interpreting skills training for CI proposed by Lederer (2007) and Liu Heping (2001) as the practical guidance, the present study attempts to use quantitative and qualitative research methods to testify the necessity and feasibility of the skill-focused training approach, aiming at probing into the issue of accurate orientation of undergraduate interpreting course for English majors in ethnic universities and colleges.The study aims to discuss the following two questions:1) Can the teaching approach—skill-focused training as the guide, and language preparation as the supplement, improve the interpreting ability of the English major undergraduates in ethnic universities and colleges?2) What are the students’attitudes towards the skill-focused training mode, and their feedbacks to specific skill training?The main findings in the experiment show that there was significant difference between the total scores of the EG and the CG. In the results of the questionnaire and interview, most of the students respond positively toward the teaching approach of skill-focused training as the guide, and language preparation as the supplement. They assume that the main objective of interpreting study is to master the skills of interpretation. Moreover, combined with the pre-class language preparation and post-class independent training, the interpreting training mode effectively relieves the discrepancy of the insufficiency of English major undergraduates in ethnic universities and colleges, increases the amount of training and enhances the effects of skill-focused training in class.The study has both theoretical and practical implications:1) The orientation of interpreting teaching should be decided by its characteristics, operational procedure and thinking patterns, and interpreting teaching in ethnic universities and colleges should insist on the teaching principle of skill-focused training as the guide, and language preparation as the supplement;2) The scientific teaching design, appropriate course book and qualified teacher are the precondition, basis and guarantee in enhancement of interpreting training for English major undergraduates in ethnic universities and colleges.In short, integrated with the real situation in ethnic universities and colleges, the study puts forward the interpreting training mode, which has a demonstration effect on solving the contradiction between the demand of skill-focused training and the language deficiency, and hopefully provides beneficial enlightenment on reform and innovation of interpretation teaching.