The Influence Of Background Knowledge Schemata On English-chinese SI

Characterized by simultaneity and directed towards time saving,simultaneous interpreting plays an important role in cross-cultural communication.The simultaneous interpreting process involves complicated cognitive activities,notably comprehension of the source language,memorization,and reproduction of the target language.As more and more thorough research is conducted into cognitive science and cognitive psychology,scholars of interpreting in China are paying increasing attention to the cognitive modes and processes of interpreting.Schema theory is a branch of cognitive psychology,and as an intra-disciplinary research method,it is frequently used in the interpreting field to explore these cognitive processes.This thesis investigates the influence of background knowledge of SI on the basis of schema theory.According to modern schema theory,the human brain processes information dynamically and in all dimensions;and during this process,newly received information and existing schema interact constantly.In the process of SI,during which the interpreter is burdened with a heavy cognitive task,a schema of background knowledge functions as an indispensable facilitating and smoothing tool.It is of great relevance to the interpreter throughout the whole process of SI,from listening comprehension to memorizing the input to reproducing the input in the target language.Recent years have seen extensive studies of the relationship between schema theory and interpreting,but only a few scholars have provided an adequate analysis of the comprehension or memorization phase.This research is conducted on the three main aspects of SI,namely listening comprehension,memorization and reproduction.In the fourth chapter,based on a rich theoretical corpus on SI,schemata of background knowledge are shown to influence listening comprehension,enhancing the interpreter?s comprehension of content and comprehension and selection of the meaning of words;memorization,strengthening the capacity of the interpreter?s working memory and facilitating the interpreter?s information retrieval;and reproduction,promoting inferential reconstruction and coordinating the interpreter?s effort distribution.It is hoped that the study?s findings will encourage and help simultaneous interpreters to pay more attention to schemata of background knowledge,accumulating more adequate background knowledge and establishing corresponding schemata,and thereby improving the overall quality of the practice of SI.