A Study On Interpreting Process From The Perspective Of Schema Theory

Schema theory refers to the background knowledge centered on a specific theme and its storage and manifestation form.With the thriving of cognitive psychology,schema theory was soon adopted by social psychologists and applied in the research fields of cross cultural communication since 1990 s.Schema theory,other than other theories,not only possesses both description function and explanation function,but also can provide basis for empirical study.Thus,this theory is arousing increasing attention.For a long time,studies on interpretation and translation are always based on the same theoretical framework,which may pose certain limitations to the work.With the development of interpretation research methods,scholars came to conduct studies on interpretation in interdisciplinary field and began to regard interpretation as a complex mental activity,which needs to be decoded from the perspective of cognitive science.Thus,cognitive science,particularly cognitive linguistics and cognitive psychology,is brought into the study of interpretation.Schema theory,one of the most influential theories in cognitive psychology,has long been applied in the analysis on various kinds of mental activity.Since the introduction of cognitive science,schema theory began to become the focus of interpretation and has been gradually applied to interpreting training,interpreting teaching,interpreting notes and interpreting comprehension.Nevertheless,study on interpreting in the light of schema theory is still at its preliminary stage and much effort is called for to make up for the deficiency.According to Seleskovitch's interpreting model,the author classifies interpreting process into three phases,and then testifies the feasibility of applying schema theory to the process of interpreting as well as the significance of schemata in promoting the interpreting process.From the perspective of schema theory,this thesis,taking Donald Trump's presidential campaign speeches as the materials for a case study,probes into the functions of schemata in each phase of interpreting and comes to the conclusions as follows: Firstly,effective application of schemata can improve interpreting quality.Schemata serve as comprehension promoter,anticipation generator and ambiguity eraser in the listening comprehension process,memory enhancer,information retrieving facilitator and time saver in the memorization process,pressure reducer,information compensator and higher expectancy gratification producer in the expression process.Secondly,when engaged in interpreting activities or interpreting training,interpreters should consciously activate the existing schema,modify it when necessary and prepare for the task beforehand,so as to do a better job in the task.