A Study On Figure Interpreting In Simultaneous Interpretation And Strategy In Light Of Gile's Effort Model

Interpreters,as the bridge between countries using different languages,play a significant role in today‘s world.In many occasions where simultaneous interpretation is required,especially in some economic and trade forums,figure interpreting is an inevitable task for interpreters.The characteristics of figures include high density of information,low redundancy and unpredictability.These features of figures pose many challenges for interpreters in figure interpreting.Most of the research on figure interpreting has been focused on skills of note-taking and teaching methods,while this thesis will concentrate on the exploration of strategies against challenges posed by figure interpreting in simultaneous interpretation.Strategy is different from a specific method or skill for solving problems.It is neither epistemology nor methodology,but a concept in between.Having the correct strategy will help interpreters find the most effective ways to improve themselves in simultaneous interpretation.To this end,ten students majoring in interpretation are invited to do the empirical study in this thesis.They are asked to interpret two paragraphs of Chinese speeches.The first paragraph contains figure interpreting;the second one does not.The purpose of this study is to solve two problems: whether or not figures have negative effects on the accuracy of simultaneous interpretation;and reasons why they are difficult.Based on students‘ interviews and Gile‘s Effort Model,challenges posed by figures and corresponding strategies are explored in this thesis.From the results of the empirical study and analyses based on Gile‘s Effort Model,this thesis draws a conclusion that figures do have negative effects on the accuracy of simultaneous interpretation.And despite the difficulties posed by figures‘ characteristics,interpreters need to face the following three challenges: 1)psychological pressure;2)inadequate Coordination Effort;and 3)insufficient working memory.In the end,strategies against the above challenges are explored.