An Analysis on Notetaking in Interpreting.doc

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1、An Analysis on Note-taking in InterpretingContentsAcknowledgement1Abstract in English3Abstract in Chinese4Chapter 1 Introduction and Overview5Chapter 2 The Concept and Necessity of Note-taking in Interpreting6Chapter 3 The Principle and Contents of Note-taking in Interpreting7Chapter 4 The Symbols o

2、f Note-taking in Interpreting84.1 Letters84.2 Drawings84.3 Mathematical Signs84.4 Abbreviations94.5 Self-created Signs9Chapter 5 The Training of Note-taking in Interpreting105.1 Quick Search Stage of Key Information105.2 Proficient Memory Stage of Note Symbols105.3 Consolidation and Improvement Stag

3、e of Notes10Chapter 6 Conclusion11Reference12AbstractInterpreting is a highly immediate translation practiceTo be a qualified interpreter，you need to have a good bilingual ability，rich knowledge as well as some relevant skills. The scene of interpretation is very complicated, so interpreters often c

4、an not successfully complete the task of interpretation only by memory of. They have to rely on the help of taking some notes. Therefore, note-taking is of essential importance in interpreting and it is very important in interpreting practice. This paper summarizes five kinds of note-taking symbols

5、commonly used and illustrates each one by one. Besides, this paper puts forward practical training methods of note-taking. Key Words: Interpreting Note-taking Symbol摘 要口译作为一种即时性很强的特殊翻译活动，除了要求译者在宏观上具有较强的双语能力、丰富的文化背景知识外，还要求译者具备相应的技能。口译的现场性非常强，译员单凭自身大脑的记忆往往不能顺利地完成口译任务，必须借助笔记的帮助。笔记作为口译的一个重要方面，在口译实践中发挥着举

6、足轻重的作用。本文也归纳了5类常用的笔记符号，并逐一进行了例证，同时，提出了切实可行的笔记训练方式。关键词：口译 笔记 符号 Chapter 1 Introduction and OverviewInterpretation is a kind of linguistic symbol through listening to and analyzing the information expressed in the source language, which canbe translated into the target language to achieve the verbal c

7、ommunication activities. Although, it is also a branch of translation, interpretation is very different from the written translation. It is extemporaneous and also is on the site. It is not only a sense of verbal behavior, but also a kind of communicative behavior relating to many levels of knowledg

8、e with extemporaneousness, comprehension and so on. As a highly specialized profession, interpretation is an operational activity of comprehensive language integrating the abilities of listening, speaking, reading and writing. It is a kind of three-dimensional and alternate activity of information d

9、issemination. Chapter 2 The Concept and Necessity of Note-takingin InterpretingNote-taking in interpreting is a method of notes. Interpreters will use simple symbols, characters and so on to quickly note the key contents of the speech and other information within a short period of time. It applies t

10、o both Chinese and English. Unlike the shorthand, it only requires to note the key points of the information and logical structures of language. It reflects the logical relation between sentences by symbols, characters, slashes, as well as hyphens and so on. The note, the carrier of memory, has the

11、nature of personality and temporary preservation, but it is not the text of information. The role of the note is that it helps interpreters to concentrate on their note-taking and give cues when they do the interpreting.The success of interpretation depends largely on the ability of interpreters to

12、record the perceptive information. Records are divided into memory and notes. Memory consists of short-term memory and long-term memory. Here the memory mentioned in interpretation is mainly short-term memory, but in fact, a persons short-term memory is limited. According to a test by Chinas psychol

13、ogists, a person can remember a maximum of six or seven words of non-coherent meaning or a set of 10-digit numbers at a time, or, at most, it can catch a sentence composed of about 20 words of coherent meaning. Therefore, people can not deal with interpretation with large amount of information. Inte

14、rpreters may rely on the notes when they encounter the following situations or speech: meetings, negotiations, lectures, court hearings and press conferences. They highly demand for perfection and accuracy in consecutive interpretation and other occasions: large amounts of parallel contents in the s

15、peech, or a string of personal names, place names, numbers, years and terms and so forth.Chapter 3 The Principle and Contents of Note-takingin InterpretingBoth memory and note-taking are necessary to interpreters. Interpreters should focus on grasping main points. When they listen, they mainly rely

16、on memory and take some notes for supplementation. Note-taking in interpreting is quite different from the detailed notes in classes or the word for word in shorthand. It varies from person to person, but it should be legible. It is better to use some common symbols. When they take notes, the princi

17、ples are as follows: the function of notes is to help recall and reduce the burden of memory, and to analyze the results. Conceptual information should be noted in drawings. However, the logical information shows its context with paragraphs, lines and symbols. In addition, the note symbols should be

18、 clear and simple so that they can be connected to the words. Note-taking is an assisting tool for interpretation. It is not the main body of interpretation. Therefore, interpreters should pay attention to the speakers facial expressions, gestures, and other information when they take notes.The proc

19、ess of interpretation is an impromptu delivery of the overall meaning of the text. Thus, the function of notes is to point out the difficulties, and it can support short-term memory and avoid oblivion and loss. In addition, it also has the function of logical analysis and preservation, so that inter

20、preters can organize paragraphs of the text clearly and save some time. If the notes are taken well, interpreters can use them freely and give a good play on the site. Then the notes they made can even make up for the deficiencies in other skills to some extent. Note-taking in interpreting acts as t

21、he support for memory and it is not advisable to take notes word for word. Generally speaking, the time for interpretation is very short during the listening process. Interpreters should focus on key points, such as attitudes, viewpoints, plan, time, places and specialized terms and so on. The key w

22、ords will give hints to the interpreters about the meaning expressed by the speakers, and then, they can master the causes and consequences of the contents and the logical relations of the context.Chapter 4 The Symbols of Note-taking in InterpretingIn order to quickly note the key contents in the li

23、mited time, interpreters can use some symbols to support their memory. The following symbols are for your reference:4.1 LettersThere are many advantages to take letters as symbols, because there are many letters in English. They are different in writing, so they can represent different meanings. Lik

24、e Latin letters, they have different writings and they can be used to imply different meanings. All the 26 English letters can be used as the symbols of notes.B can be expressed as the meaning of but, etc.C can stand for century and other words, etc.P can represent politics, political parties and po

25、litical power, etc.V can mean victory and success, etc.Z can be referred to the the tortuous road, etc.4.2 DrawingsWhen taking notes, some pictorial symbols can make notes. They look so clear that they can be easily remembered. For example: can be represented as entirety and completeness, etc. can b

26、e said as increase, improve and add, etc. can mean highlights, main points, think highly of, etc. can be referred to peak, vertex and leadership, etc.* can be expressed as feature, characteristics and represent, etc.4.3 Mathematical SignsMathematical symbols, such as +、一、X、 and = and so on, are simp

27、le and accurate. They are ideal signs for note-taking. For example:+ can be expressed as and, add, together with”, etc. X can represent the negative meaning, such as error, no, not, oppose and so on. can be said as greater than, more than, superior to, etc. can be referred to positive meaning, such

28、as correct, consent, good, etc. can mean because, due to, thanks, etc.4.4 AbbreviationsA large number of commonly used English words in notes can be used in the form of their abbreviations. For example:TX refers to tax, taxation.Ed refers to education.Co refers to company.Al refers to although.Tr re

29、fers to trade.4.5 Self-created SignsIn practice, interpreters can create the symbols which suit their personal use according to their pronunciation and shape features. For example: ? stands for trials, doubts.3R stands for three representatives.SZ stands for special zone. ! stands for caution, pay a

30、ttention.Chapter 5 The Training of Note-taking in InterpretingThe training of note-taking skills should be separated from the training of other skills, that is to say, when you take the training of notes, you should just concentrate on practicing the techniques of notes rather than being distracted

31、by interpretation. At the same time, the training of interpreting symbols should be divided from the memory training and listening training. In practice, the training can take the following steps:5.1 Quick Search Stage of Key InformationSome data indicate that the average rate is about 150 words per

32、 minute. If a person continues to speak for two minutes, interpreters will receive the information of nearly 300 words, and it is obvious that its impossible to note all the information points clearly. Therefore, it is essential to quickly find out the key information before practicing the interpret

33、ing notes. At the beginning of training, you can listen to the material sentence by sentence to find the key points, and then, according to them, you can try to repeat the whole sentence. Secondly, you can go on in paragraphs and you should record the key messages of each section and repeat them par

34、agraph by paragraph. Finally, you can listen to the whole passage. You should list the key points of the whole passage and repeat them.5.2 Proficient Memory Stage of Note SymbolsAfter the dramatic improvement of the speed in searching the key information, what you should do next is to use the simple

35、 symbols to express the information. During the proficient memory stage of note symbols, you should be specific to a set of representative materials to do the repeated practice and master the majority of the practical note symbols. You should use a lot of letter symbols, pictorial symbols, mathemati

36、cal symbols and self-created symbols instead of the key points.5.3 Consolidation and Improvement Stage of NotesAfter getting familiar with the commonly used note symbols, you can take a great deal of exercises to consolidate the note system, and try a variety of subjects as well as the note practice

37、 at a higher difficult level. You can gain the skills to deal with different special circumstances.Chapter 6 ConclusionNote-taking in interpreting acts as the means for supplementary memory. It should focus on key information. Note-taking in interpreting varies from person to person. However, there

38、are still some rules to follow, and it has strong individuality. Through a long period of repeated practice with fully grasping proficient and basic skills, each interpreter can find the most suitable and diversified way with individual characteristics of note-taking. Note-taking plays a vital role

39、in interpreting. Interpreters should constantly improve the bilingual ability in practice and expand their own knowledge structures. Meanwhile, they should continuously strengthen the training of their own interpreting skills. The notes of interpreters should mainly focus on their own practice and c

40、onstant review. Then they can develop a set of note-taking systems suited to them so as to serve the work of interpreting better.Reference1 He Gangqing: Art and Craft of Translation (Fudan University Press, September, 2003)2 Hou Guojin: Queen of Interpreters (Dalian University of Technology Press, J

41、uly, 2003) 3 Wu Zhongming: English Interpretation (Wuhan University Press, August, 2008)4 Zhong Weihe: A Coursebook of Interpreting Between English and Chinese (Higher Education Press, June, 2006)5 Mei Deming: An Intermediate Course of Interpretation (Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, August, 2008)6 Ji Lisi: Note-taking for Consecutive Interpreting: A Shot Course (Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, October, 2009)