A Report On Business Interpreting Practice In Nigeria

In the background of globalization in the 21st century,English has been widely used in the world.While English being used in various countries,regional varieties of English begins to emerge in these countries with the result that world English varieties are more and more diversified.Nigerian English,as a product of English globalization,is also formed in this way,carrying its unique characteristics.It is an English variant with Nigerian characteristics.Bilateral trade between China and Nigeria is growing rapidly,and business communication is becoming more and more frequent.Therefore,business interpreting plays a very important role in the cooperation of China and Nigeria.For business communication,an interpreter should grasp the characteristics of Nigerian English variety.A good interpretation should reflect the meaning and style of the source language.Nigerian English variety is different from Standard English in some aspects of pronunciation,vocabulary and grammar,which causes difficulties in listening comprehension and adds obstacles to an interpreter's work,and may even affect the quality of interpretation.At present,there is little published research available on the characteristics of Nigerian English and its interpreting strategies.However,the study on Nigerian English variety is significant to the success of business English interpreting work in Nigeria,Therefore,it is worthy of further research.From August 2014 to September 2015,the author was in Benin City of Nigeria,doing an internship on business interpreting.This thesis is a report on this experience.The author did a study on the characteristics of Nigerian English variety,reflected on the problems she has encountered in interpreting,and analysed the interpreting strategies involved.The thesis consists of four chapters.Chapter One introduces the background of this study,and points out the purpose and significance of this study.In Chapter Two,the author introduces the historical and cultural background of Nigeria and the current situation of business partnership between China and Nigeria.At the same time,the author explains the concept of English variety in Nigeria,and gives a literature review on the current research on world English at home and abroad.In Chapter three,the author makes an analysis of the characteristics of the English variety in Nigeria,creating a framework for the evaluation of the interpreting work the author was engaged in.The thesis describes the features of Nigerian English variety from three aspects.(1)Pronunciation:nonstandard pronunciation is an important characteristic of African English variants,and the difference in vowel is the most obvious feature;(2)Grammar:grammar is more flexible in Nigerian English.There is no grammatical rule that can be universally accepted in Nigerian English,which makes interpretation more difficult;(3)Vocabulary:vocabulary of Nigerian English is a combination of standard English and those from local dialects.With a comprehensive understanding of the characteristics of Nigerian English,Chapter Four is an analysis on examples taken from the author's one-year interpretation practice in Nigeria with a focus on Nigerian English variety and its interpreting strategies.Finally the author proposes that to be a competent interpreter in Africa,one has to have a good mastery of African English varieties and a sharp awareness of cross-cultural communication.