The Effects Of Speech Rate On Quality Of Chinese/English Simultaneous Interpreting ——An Empirical Study On Trainee Interpreters

Speech rate is one of the problem triggers frequently put forward by interpreters in simultaneous interpreting（SI）.Some empirical studies provide evidence that fast speech rate exerts a detrimental effect on SI outputs,but others suggest it may not necessarily undermine fluency and language quality.Besides,most studies on speech rate focus on interpretation from B language to A language,and comparison between the two directions is rare.Against this background,the study attempts to examine the potential effects of speech rate on trainee interpreters’ SI performance in terms of three distinctive aspects,namely fidelity,language quality,and fluency of delivery,and to investigate how such effects differ based on directionality.The study adopted a mixed-methods approach,represented by a factorial experiment and think-aloud protocols（retrospective interviews）.Propositional and error analysis was utilized to evaluate SI quality;the causations and potential strategies were explored through retrospection.The study finds that when interpreting from Chinese to English,fast speech rate exerts a significant negative effect on fidelity and language quality;when interpreting from English to Chinese,only fidelity is undermined.No detrimental impact on fluency of delivery is found across directions.Retrospective interviews suggest that omission,generalization,and paraphrasing are three major strategies for dealing with fast speech rates.Based on research findings,this thesis suggests that trainers of interpretation should select materials with appropriate topics and adjust the speech rate depending on different stages of training.They should also develop students’ flexibility in using strategies.Trainee interpreters should improve their language competency and build up their resistance to stress in adverse situations.