An Experimental Study On The Relationship Between Quantity Of Notes And Interpreting Performance In CI In Diplomatic Settings

The note-taking system of student interpreters is not so well-established as that of professional interpreters.It is widely recognized that students tend to rely more heavily on notes than short-term memory.Under the guidance of Gile's effort model,this thesis studies the relationship between quantity of notes and interpreting performance in CI in diplomatic settings.Research questions of the thesis are: 1)In the context of diplomatic interpreting,can a larger quantity of notes contribute to one's interpreting performance? 2)How can one make his note more effective in diplomatic CI?Six second-year graduate students of CFAU are invited to the experiment.The thesis studies the relationship between quantity of notes and interpreting performance through exploring the correlation between quantity of notes and accuracy and delivery respectively.The findings are as follows: 1)There's a positive correlation between quantity of notes and accuracy.2)The correlation between quantity of notes and delivery is weak yet positive.The thesis holds that greater quantity of notes and better delivery may not be an“if … then …” situation.In C-E interpreting,the original speech is delivered in interpreters' mother tongue,less effort is needed for the choice of language in note-taking,analysis of input,and short-term memory,hence delivery mainly depends on an interpreter's proficiency of target language.In E-C interpreting,greater effort is needed for the above-mentioned process.Those with more notes got higher scores in delivery not only because their notes helped to cover the information units in ST,but also due to the fact that they did relatively well at the initial stage –listening,analysis and coordination.Finally,the thesis discussed some common problems in the note-taking system of student interpreters and made suggestions in this respect.