A Comparative Study On English-to- Chinese CI Note-Taking Patterns Of Interpreters Across Various Professional Seniority Levels

In consecutive interpretation(CI),the effectiveness of interpreters' notes and their coordination of efforts are instrumental to the quality of output.Studying interpreters'note features and patterns will help them improve their note-taking and overall CI skills more effectively.In this thesis,the notes in an English-to-Chinese interpretation of 15 interpreters divided in three groups based on their level of professional seniority are studied.The study aims to explore how note patterns differ among interpreters of respective seniority level,and what strategies and effort coordination patterns are reflected from their notes,so that CI learners can better understand and address related problems.The study has probed into note patterns through note amount,note format and choice of language,by conducting quantitative and qualitative analyses upon subjects' notes,CI outputs and interviews with them.The findings are following:Less senior interpreters do not take as many notes as more senior interpreters;more senior interpreters tend to note down more incomplete words and phrases,and fewer complete ones than less senior interpreters;more senior interpreters tend to use more end marks than less senior interpreters;no clear patterns of symbol use and choice of language in notes are found in this study.Generally speaking,interpreters' notes are highly personal.The study finds that the relationbetween CI notes and quality is very complex,and no direct correlation between the above note dimenstions and CI quality is found in this study.Beginner CI learners,while improving the listening and analysis capability,should find the right mix of effort allocation,make sure that notes work as a memory trigger,and put higher premiums on the effectiveness of notes.They need to build their own note system through extensive practicing.