Difficulties Of Impromptu Speeches In English-Chinese Consecutive Interpreting And Coping Strategies

Interpreting tasks vary,and one that interpreters often encounter is impromptu speeches.Linguistically speaking,impromptu speeches are fast in information delivery,vague in meaning,loose in grammar and sentence structure.Interpreting of a impromptu speech requires background knowledge,inferences within the context and the ability to understand the rhetoric devices that a specific speaker often uses.These bring about challenges to interpreters.In this thesis,the writer does a case study on his own interpreting of a impromptu speech delivered by Peter Thiel,co-founder of PayPal,in 2018 at the New York Economic Club.The writer reflects upon some of the mistakes and misinterpretations in the task and identifies the root causes by looking at the colloquial way that Thiel delivered his speech.The writer also proposes coping strategies with impromptu speeches.Before the task begins,the interpreter should watch videos of the speaker or talk to the speaker in order to adapt to the speaker's accent and style.When interpreting,the interpreter should focus on the general idea and ignore petty information and fillers.Linking devices and anticipation are also important if the interpreter wants to keep up with the speaker.The interpreter needs to self-monitor and self-correct right away if he/she made a mistake.