Comparing Native English Speakers And Non-Native English Speakers In Their Assessment Of Chinese-English Interpreting

The present study aimed to explore the assessment differences in Chinese-English interpreting between native English-speaking raters(NER)and non-native English-speaking raters(NNER).Research has been done on exploring the differences in the writing task and various speaking tasks including picture narration,speech,and interview.However,there is limited research on the interpreting assessment difference between NER and NNER.In this study,ten NER and ten NNER rated six recordings of Chinese-English interpreting.Raters filled in the scales,wrote comments,received interviews and filled in the questionnaire.Due to the limited condition,this research only examined language quality and delivery.Both quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis were u sed.The quantitative analysis results showed that NER were harsher than NNER in pronunciation,grammar,fluency,intonation,and speed.No significant differences were found in their assessment of appropriateness and voice quality.In the error finding process,NER were more sensitive to pronunciation errors than NNER.Besides,NER tended to give more comments than NNER in language delivery features such as fluency,intonation,voice quality,and speed.Also,NER comments were more positive than NNER.Moreover,based on the result of the questionnaire and interviews,NER valued fluency most while NNER valued pronunciation and grammar most.The findings of the experiment could be applied to the training and the exam of the interpreting.To improve the assessment of interpreting,native-English speaking teachers and non-native English speaking teachers can cooperate in their teaching and examination.