The Use Of Extra-linguistic Knowledge In Interpretation Of International Business Negotiation

Interpreting in international business negotiation has been widely adopted in current business world due to the increasing communications between different countries. And this has posed great challenges to interpreters because not only language proficiency and interpreting skills but also knowledge about international affairs and cultural difference are required for a successful interpreting on the occasion of business negotiations.In interpreting, extra-linguistic knowledge(ELK) can be broken into two categories: preexisting ELK and situational ELK. ELK plays an important role in escort interpreting and consecutive interpreting. Daniel Gile’s comprehension equation, Professor Lin Yuru’s interpreting Equation and Professor Zhong Weihe’s interpreting equation all discussed the roles of extra-linguistic knowledge and the ways to prepare for them in an interpreting task.This paper is based on the author’s real interpreting experience in an international business negotiation related to medical planning, architectural design and business management, all of which require rich ELK. Therefore, based on the interpreting transcript and analysis, this paper aims to discuss the categories of extra-linguistic knowledge and how to prepare for them in international business negotiation. After analysis, preexisting ELK can be prepared through long-term and short-term preparations, and situational ELK can be acquired from daily practice.