The Reformulation Strategy In Japanese-Chinese Consecutive Interpreting

Impromptu speeches are one of the most common speech types that interpreters deal with.The speakers' delivery,however,may present a variety of problems.Other challenges for interpreters include the difference of word order and syntax between Japanese and Mandarin and very common listening and memory pressure,which often cause omission of information in the output of the target language.Thus,the interpreters should apply reformulation strategies to avoid linguistic problems that have appeared in source language and keep the target language coherent and idiomatic.Based on previous studies,the thesis starts with definition of an impromptu speech and its features.An impromptu speech is a talk that a person delivers on the spot without sufficient preparation.This feature often leads to various problems in speaker's delivery,posing challenges to the interpreter.Then,the definition of reformulation is stated.Reformulation referred to in this thesis is a process that renders the target language functionally equivalent to the source language by adjusting how the information is presented without compromising the information.Moreover,the thesis discusses the function of reformulation in interpreting impromptu speeches.Reformulation effectively makes the rendering more understandable and avoids possible information omission.Based on the case study on the mock conference of G1 Academy Summit,this thesis analyzes the cases where the interpreter either successfully applied or failed to apply reformulation strategies.It's concluded that when the source language is fragmented,vague,or redundant,reformulation strategies including word order adjustment,explicitation and ellipses may be applied to avoid similar problems in the target language.Other strategies including simplification and generalization and inference of details can be used when the interpreter missed ideas due to listening comprehension challenges and memorization pressure.At last,this thesis elaborates the problems which reformulation may cause when used inappropriately and also proposes possible solutions.Based on previous researches and the author's own experiences,reformulation strategies do improve interpreters' rendering.However,reformulation,which involves changes of word order and sentence structure,is based on personal understanding.Overinterpretation may happen when interpreters,who are often under considerable pressure,add details that doesn't appear in the source language to keep the momentum of output.To prevent the problem,interpreters may practice listening comprehension and retelling,improving the ability to reorganize sentences.