The Pragmatics Of Information Loss In Simultaneous Interpreting

A recent study shows that “saying it all” is hardly possible in interpreting.Therefore,Information Loss is an inevitable phenomenon occurs both in Consecutive Interpreting(CI for short)or Simultaneous Interpreting(SI for short).Nowadays,the studies on the interpreting is gradually related to other disciplines,including linguistics,psychology,sociology,and neuroscience.As an important theory in pragmatics,the Cooperative Principle(CP for short),put forward by Grice,has gradually attracted the interpreting researchers' attention.The CP describes how effective communication in conversation is achieved in everyday social situations.There are four maxims in the CP: the maxim of quantity,the maxim of quality,the maxim of manner and the maxim of relevance.Interpreting,as a special kind of communication,could also be guided by the CP.Therefore,this paper is an interdisciplinary study combined pragmatics and SI,aiming at analyzing the phenomenon of Information Loss in SI.This paper intends to explain the communication barrier caused by the Information Loss from the perspective of Grice's Cooperative Principle.The CP serves as the main theoretical basis of this study.The author first explores the causes of Information Loss in interpreting under Gile's Effort Model,and then analyzes the cases of Information Loss following and violating the CP respectively.Through careful analysis,the author hopes that the interpreter could try his/her best to improve the quality of interpreting by avoiding information loss to the great extent and achieve the optimal effect in communication.