Analyzing Common Problems in Chinese-English Consecutive Interpreting and Countermeasures

Abstract

Consecutive interpretation is one of the most important and commonest interpretation areas. Interpreters are often required to have excellent language skills, memory, and the ability to convey the exact meaning of the speaker. However, most interpreters, especially inexperienced ones, inevitably make mistakes in consecutive interpretation which will make communication lack efficiency and professionalism. This article reviews some common problems, their causes and coping strategies in the consecutive interpretation: 1) Listening and analysis problems. Its causes include lack of language skills and poor timing in note-taking. Strategies for dealing with this problem include allocating energy and content prediction; 2) Difficulty decoding notes. It can be caused by the formatting of notes and abbreviations. Strategies such as improving overall comprehension and refining the note-taking system can help; 3) Information loss or redundancy. Its causes include short-term memory problems, cultural differences and so on. Strategies for dealing with this problem include doing English to Chinese conversions and so on; 4) Mishandling of logic. It is caused by note-taking and listening errors and over-stimulation. Strategies like analysing the logic of the source text can help. By analysing these problems, interpreters can identify their specific problems and consciously reduce the number of mistakes. Improving the interpreting skills based on strategies can help them convey the speaker's meaning more accurately when doing consecutive interpretations.