Week One

Course of Interpreting betweenChinese and EnglishWeek One: Course Description1.Interpreting as a modern professionInterpreting, as an internationally recognized profession, began to take shape only around the turn of the twentieth century.We live in an age of international communication. International contacts are on the increase, and as a result more people than ever, from different backgrounds and cultures and who speak different languages, find themselves coming together to discuss issues of all kinds-economic, political, legal, cultural, technical. If they are to communicate effectively, they must feel able to express themselves in complete confidence that they will be understood by others.This is where interpreters have an invaluable role to play, facilitating communication between people who speak a different language and serving a bridge between different cultures.2. Types of interpretingTo interpret a speech is not to translate it word for word. To interpret a speech from its source language is to transfer its semantic, connotative and aesthetic content into another language, using the lexical, syntactic and stylistic resources of the second, or “target” language for that purpose. To interpret is first and foremost to understand the intended message perfectly. It can then be “detached” from the words used to convey it in the original and reconstituted, in all its subtlety, in words of the target language.There are two modes of interpreting:-Consecutive interpretationThe interpreter sits at the conference table with the delegates, listening to whomever speaking in the source language and making noted as the speech processes. When the speaker has finished, the interpreter reproduces (consecutively) the message in the target language, in its entirety and as though she/he were making the original speech.-Simultaneous interpretationThe interpreter sits in a booth, in front of a microphone, listens through headphones to the incoming message in the source language and communicates it over the microphone to whomever listening in the target language. In other words, SI is an intensive information processing task and in a six-hour working day the interpreter will “process” the equivalent of about 65 typewritten pages. -Sight interpretation:In international conferences, the interpreter is often called upon to interpret simultaneously written speeches that have been delivered to him in advance. In professional terms this is called sight interpreting. In scientific and technical meetings and increasingly in “diplomatic interpreting”, the interpreter has to cope with papers, statements, and declarations, which, for a variety of reasons, have been carefully prepared in writing.3.Basic requirements for interpreters:In order to achieve successful interpreting, interpreters must possess an extraordinary array of qualifications. A good interpreter is required to have a high level of linguistic competence, wide general knowledge, sufficient subject-specific knowledge, and the necessary cross-cultural awareness as well as a good mastery of interpreting skills, such as note-taking techniques, the abilityto abstract and paraphrase, the art of public speaking a good memory. An interpreter has to deal with various kinds of people on different occasions. He may interpret for an academic visitor, a top-ranking official or a hard-working engineer, he may speak in front of a large audience or sit at the negotiation table with experts on both sides. Moreover, he may sometimes face unfair criticism from the speaker or recievers or become a scapegoat. Therefore, interpreters must possess special qualifications; they must be quick-witted, calm and resourceful.In actual interpreting, the process of “listening-comprehension-reconstruction”occurs almost simultaneously, and the interpreter presents his or her rendering almost immediately after the speaker has finished; so quick-wittedness is an essential talent for interpreters. Professionals generally agrees that one ofthe major enemies of the conference interpreter is panic and stage-fright. Calmness is vital to interpreters. The interpreter not only has to present a decent rendering, but also has to keep the situation under control. If the interpreter “loses the thread”or loses quite a few words of what the original speaker is saying, he should be flexible enough to limit the loss and find his feet again quickly. If the speaker and the reciever have communication difficulties not because of the message but because of a cultural difference, the interpreter should initiate an explanation to fill the gap.1)Linguistic competence andphonetic competence2)Acute hearing3)Exceptionally largevocabulary4)Encyclopedic knowledgeand subject knwoledge5)Cross-cultural awareness6)Mastery of interpretingskills and technique4.Purpose of the CourseFinal Goal: to share practical advice on professional practice in interpreting, with the aim of contributing to high standards of professionalism and quality interpretation, and thereby to the dignity and integrity of the profession；Immediate Objectives: to prepare(i) complete mastery of the target language;(ii) sound general knowledge and understanding of current affairs;(iii) the ability to analyse and construe facts;(iv) speed of reaction and ability to adapt without delay to speakers, situations and subjects;(v) powers of concentration；(vi)above average physical and nervous staying-power；5 Class Requirement:(i) Full attendance is expected;(ii) Active participation in both classroom discussions and individual conferences is expected;(iii) Plagiarism is strictly prohibited; (iv) Seriousness and carefulness are necessary (since writing is not a matter of intelligence);6 Form of Instruction:(i) Instructions on the mechanics of interpreting;(ii) Comments and classroom discussions on exercises;(iii) Individual conferences (students presentation);7 Activity:(i) Sentence dictation;(ii) Sentence Retelling(iii) Paragraph summarizing(iv) Consecutive interpreting;(v) Spontaneous interpreting8 Teaching Arrangemen t: Theoretically, the course is conducted on a weekly basis and each unit in four periods. But we will revise the schedule considering the nature of the tasks to be completed this semester.9 Evaluation: Assessment will be based on your performance throughout the whole semester including attendance and participation. Six hours’ absence from the classroom sessions will disqualify you from earning a grade for the course. Class Attendance 10%Class Participation 10%Take-home Assignment 10%Final Exam 50%10 Textbook to be used:Wu, Bing, et al.吴冰等．Oral Interpretation: A Course Book (Revision).汉译英口译教材．Beijing: Beijing Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, 1995.Further material(s) for reference:Mei, Deming. 梅德明. Interpretation. 英语口译教程. Beijing: Higher Education Press, 2003.Supplements to the course11 Assignment:(i) Reading: pp. 1-20 in Oral Interpretation: A Course Book;(ii) Build up your vocabulary by making access to libraries or logging in the internet;(iii) Translate the following passage into English.加拿大幅员辽阔，其面积仅次于俄罗斯。