Visibility Consciousness Of Interpreters

The author has nearly seven years' working experience at Foreign Affairs Office in universities.This report,based on the nearly two-year foreign affairs interpreting practices for FS University,tries to introduce the background,contents and features of foreign affairs interpreting for universities and colleges.The fulfillment of the interpreting tasks is described in three steps including pre-interpreting preparation,onsite interpreting performance and post-interpreting reflection.Foreign affairs interpreting for universities and colleges have clear communicative purposes and professional interpreters tend to be “visible” rather than “invisible” in the interpreting process.Some typical cases picked up from transcriptions have proved that the interpreters' visibility consciousness does exist and has its manifestations in three roles: a gate-keeper of the speaker's message;a co-interlocutor of the conversation and a coordinator of the discourse process.As a gatekeeper,the interpreter filters improper information to avoid negative effects on communication;as a co-interlocutor,the interpreter generates his/her own words to provide additional information and bridge cultural differences;as a coordinator,the interpreter mediates the start,development and finish of the conversation.It is suggested that in consecutive interpreting training,the method of situational context teaching and role playing should be adopted to enhance learners' communication skills and cultural awareness.